


You weren't born a villain?!

by HappyKonny



Series: Memories of the past [1]
Category: LazyTown
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lost Memory, Number Nine is an asshole, bad memories, child Robbie, friendship ensues?, young Robbie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-07 21:51:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 21,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8817541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappyKonny/pseuds/HappyKonny
Summary: It seemed like a good idea. Combine the Memory Zapper 3000  with the Littlizer 3000 and use it on Sportacus. But since he hadn't tested it before trying to use it, Robbie couldn't expect it to explode in his hands... but still do what it was supposed to do, just not with the right target.





	1. Backfired

His plan was perfect. Combine the Memory Zapper 3000 with the Littlizer 3000 and use it on Sportacus. Then he'd be a little child with no memories of who he was up to that point! No hero, no flips and jumps and other stunts. So as soon as Robbie had build the Littlelize Zapper 3000, he went out to use it on Sportaflop -without testing it first.

Hiding behind a tree, the villain waited for Sportacus to be relatively still for a moment. When the hero began doing push-ups on the ground, Robbie saw his chance. He aimed at the blue-clad elf and pressed the button to shoot at him. When nothing happened, Robbie looked confused at his Zapper, it suddenly  _exploded_ , causing him to drop the thing. He didn't see the beam coming at him through the smoke.

** oo **

Sportacus had just been exercising, going through his normal morning routine in Lazytown. He suddenly heard something strange, like an explosion, which caused him to stand up straight again and look around, when his crystal began beeping.

"Someone's in trouble!", he exclaimed, his intuition telling him that it was nearby, by that tree. So of course he quickly jumped and flipped over there, to see who was in trouble and what was going on.

The first thing he noticed was l machine laying on the ground, smoking a little still. And then he noticed a child, neatly combed back black hair and large stormy grey eyes, wearing clothes far too big for him. The little guy looked scared, his hands looked like they were hurt.

"Hello there", Sportacus greeted the child with a gentle smile, kneeling down to not be so much taller than him. Alone from the clothes he could recognize the kid being Robbie. He wondered what happened, but he blamed it on the machine laying there.

"H-hello", Robbie responded, feeling uncomfortable at the stranger's presence. He looked strange, all in blue and with a ten on front, with a silly mustache. And why was he wearing a hat? It was warm enough for hats to be  _too_ warm.

"I'm Sportacus. Can I know who you are?", Sportacus introduced himself, it looked like Robbie lost his memory. Otherwise, the villain wouldn't be this scared and uncertain.

"I'm- I'm Robert Rotten..", Robbie introduced himself. He was still rather uncertain, but could finally tear his eyes away from the hero and look around at where he was. He recognized the place, but not how he got here or  _why_ he was here.  
"Are you a- a superhero?", Robbie asked then, looking back at Sportacus. 

"Indeed I am! But I'd say I'm more of a slightly-above-average-hero", Sportacus replied with a chuckle. He didn't have much time to wonder why Robbie would ask that, since Sportacus hadn't done anything that would make him look like a hero, when Robbie already asked another question.

"What happened to the one before you?", he asked, sounding a bit braver than before. At Sportacus slightly confused question, Robbie pointed at the ten on the hero's outfit. "You're Ten. What happened with Nine?", he clarified.

"Did you know Nine, Robert?", Sportacus asked, almost calling the kid Robbie. He wasn't sure how he would react to that, so he wouldn't do that for now.

"Mhhm", Robbie nodded, looking away slightly. It seemed like he didn't want to talk about the hero before Sportacus, keeping quiet after his simple answer. But that was alright, Sportacus wouldn't push him into telling anything he didn't want to.

"I'm going to get you some better fitting clothes, okay, Robert?", Sportacus asked then. He couldn't let Robbie walk around in clothes far too big and too  _long_ for him. He wasn't sure who to ask for clothes though, since Robbie didn't look as old as Pixel but definitely older than Ziggy. Maybe Stingy? He was around the same height as Robbie at least.

"Okay.. thank you.... Sportacus", Robbie seemed to still be a little uncomfortable with the "new" hero, someone he didn't know. But he decided to trust Sportacus -at least a little- for now. He seemed nice enough, but that could be deceiving.

"I'll be right back!", Sportacus smiled happily and got up again, jumping and flipping away, being watched by a curious little Robbie.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First short but sweet chapter!  
> I had the idea while trying to sleep and just couldn't NOT write it down.  
> I just love smol Robbie. I have no idea where this will go or what will happen or how it'll end.  
> Maybe it won't have an end, which I'd be very sorry for. But yeah  
> Stay tuned!


	2. The future..

"Robert! I'm back!", Sportacus called out to the boy, while he was just jumping over a small wall and landing near Robbie. The kid flinched when he had heard his name being called, looking around almost panicked. Seeing Sportacus though, made him calm down a little again. He still looked anxious though.

"Is it alright if you change in the city hall?", the hero asked Robbie with a gentle smile. The kid looked up to him for a moment, swallowing, before nodding. Together, the two of them started to walk then. Robbie held his hands in front of himself, fiddling around with the vest he was wearing currently. He had to fold up his pants a few times, to not trip over them.

"Do you know what happened?", Robbie asked after a while, with a quiet voice. It was obvious that he meant why he was in these clothes or standing in the middle of Lazytown. He had no idea himself what happened, how he ended up here.

"It's uhm, very confusing to explain", Sportacus sighed, scratching his neck with his free hand.  
"Was it that machine?", Robbie asked again. They had left it behind, but Robbie wanted to get it later. He liked machines and tinkering around with stuff. It was fun and something he could do alone.

"I think so, yes", Sportacus nodded. It probably was that machine that had turned Robbie into a child and erased his adult memories. He could only imagine that Robbie had wanted to use it on him, but it somehow misfired. He hoped that this was reversible...

Arriving at the city hall, Sportacus gave Robbie the clothes. The office of the mayor was currently empty, so the hero send him inside to change, promising to stay outside and watch that no one came inside.

Robbie was hesitating a few moments in the office, looking at the door like he thought that it'd open slightly to someone peeking in. When nothing happened though, he shortly looked around and started to change his clothes. Instead of the far too big and long clothes, he now had a white button up shirt with big cuffs, a lavender vest sweater over it, brown pants that reached his knees, high white socks and black, rather formal, shoes.

Robbie was glad to wear fitting clothes again, even clothes he was used to. Opening the door to let Sportacus know he was done, he curiously looked around the office. He didn't touch anything, only looked at the things he could look at. Seeing the current date on a calendar on the wall made him frown.

"That can't be true", he commented and looked at Sportacus, a look of disbelief on his face. "That'd mean I'm an adult by now!". The year was over ten years in the future! That couldn't be right, could it? Maybe that machine had something to do with it...

"It's true, Robert. That machine seems to have made you a child again", Sportacus said, looking at the calendar as well, before back to the child. Robbie seemed uncomfortable with the idea. His parents surely weren't here anymore then, right? He had no home then, and he couldn't stay on his own wherever his adult-self lived! The thought scared him, even if he was used to being alone most of the time.

"What am I gonna do now?... Where will I stay?", Robbie asked, mumbling. It was obvious that he was scared, his head hanging low and almost hugging himself. If this was really the future -at least for him- he would know no one. The kids he used to know would be adults now. Not even the hero he had known was still here! Everything was new, even if the town was the same.

"Hey, don't worry Robert.. I'm sure my friends would love to help you out! And I'd be happy to help you as well!", Sportacus smiled at Robbie, hoping to cheer the little guy up. He was sure the other kids would be happy to be friends with Robbie! They were always so welcoming with new people after all!

Robbie mumbled something quietly under his breath, but shrugged lightly then. "Okay..", he mumbled, loud enough for the hero to hear, walking over to him.

Sportacus was worried for Robbie, he was much different from his adult-self, but still close enough to be clearly recognizable as Robbie. He wondered how his family had been, his parents. Maybe he'd be willing to talk with him about it? Sportacus would try his best to befriend Robbie and make him feel happy, as it seems he didn't feel very happy now.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all watched that livestream, otherwise GO WATCH IT IT WAS THE BEST  
> Tumblr exploded holy heck, but it was so amazing and happy and just nnnghh <3  
> ANYWAYS  
> The chapters may stay this short and I am sorry for that, but I think it's just good points to end them at so  
> I hope you don't mind it too much! I still have no idea where this is going after all ^^;  
> I'm trying to write more chapters beforehand and maybe not post daily, because then I have more time to write more  
> But it depends if I get to write the whole story down. Because if I have everything, I can update daily or every two days  
> But now a chapter because special occasion: livestream that happened  
> Hope you like! Next chapter come the kids! (Which I fear will be ooc Dx)


	3. New kid

The two of them approached the sports field together. They could hear the kids all playing and laughing, being happy together. Sportacus couldn't wait to be with them, so of course he had to jump and flip ahead. Robbie though stayed behind. He just stopped walking a little way away from the field, watching how the kids stopped playing to all greet Sportacus happily.

They all were so happy with the hero... Robbie looked at the ground again, it reminded him of his own time. The kids all had loved Nine so much and had so much fun with the hero. And Robbie never was included, he just stayed away from them and tried to not feel too sad. Too left out.

When the voices of five excited kids and Sportacus grew closer, Robbie flinched back, startled that they'd approach him at all. He watched them come towards him, all talking with each other at once, not minding that no one listened really to the other.

"Hello!", a girl fully in pink waved, smiling happily. She was one or two years older than Robbie by the looks of it, at least she was a little taller than him.

"Those are MY clothes", a boy about the height of Robbie exclaimed, looking like a rather rich kid as well. Robbie could easily see that his statement was true though.

"Hey new kid!", another girl greeted, wearing more boy-ish clothes and having... three? ponytails. It looked a little weird, if Robbie was honest.

"Hello!!", the youngest of the group apparently greeted, waving with a big lollipop. He looked like a superhero wannabe, especially with the cape and big Z on his chest.

"Hi", greeted the last of the five, dark skin and bright orange hair. His strange glasses he had intrigued Robbie, he wondered what they were for.

"H-hello..", Robbie greeted them all back then, taking a step backwards from all of them -they were far too close for his comfort.  
"I'm- I'm Robert..", he introduced himself, fidgeting with his hands in front of him again. He was really nervous, not knowing what to think of the kids yet.

"I'm Stephanie! Nice to meet you!", the pink girl introduced herself with a happy smile.  
" **I** am Stingy", the rich kid said, "and these are **my** friends!".  
"Trixie", the other girl grinned, tapping on her chest a little.  
"I'm Ziggy! Hi!", the youngest introduced himself as well, smiling happily and lightly bouncing.

Robbie just seemed very uncomfortable with so many people around him. He didn't very much mind them, they seemed to be nice, but they were still strangers for him and he couldn't handle that. He disliked strangers and being with too many people at once.

"How about we all play a game together?", Sportacus suggested then, sensing Robbie's discomfort. He hoped that Robbie would be alright with playing with them and feel a little better then as well. He really wanted Robbie to take his mind off of things and just be a child.

The five children all agreed happily, nodding, while Robbie just looked unsure.  
"What do you want to play, Robert?", Stephanie asked with a smile. Maybe there was a game he liked! She really wanted to know, and play something the younger kid knew and liked.

"I'm bad with sports..", Robbie mumbled, not looking at anyone. "I- I like hide and seek..", he added quietly though. He was really good at hiding and decent at seeking as well.

The children didn't seem to mind to play something were there wasn't much movement involved and agreed to play it all together. Sportacus would sit out though, he wouldn't be able to sit still and hide from anyone for long. But he wouldn't be able to anyways, since just in this moment, his crystal beeped.

Robbie flinched at the sudden sound, looking at Sportacus and seeing the rainbow light on his chest. He looked confused, barely listening to Sportacus saying "Someone's in trouble!", before he dashed off. Stephanie saw Robbie's face of confusion and decided to explain it to him, thinking he didn't know about the crystal.

When they then decided who should seek and who hides, Stephanie was sure she had heard Robbie mumble "He's so different.." under his breath, before he vanished to go hiding somewhere. She had no idea who Robbie could've possibly meant, but she didn't mind, going to hide as well.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope no one is ooc, I can't trust myself with any of the kids that aren't Stephanie  
> So yeah, I hope it's okay. The next chapter will be a good deal longer!  
> EDIT: I know I add this kinda late, but I'll ask the next few chapters that'll come too:  
> Should Robbie stay as child at the end, turn back normal at the end or stay a child for a long while before he turns adult again in the end?  
> The end meaning the last chapter ofc. Which'd mean, either he stays a child at the end, turns into an adult in the last chapter or is still a child in the last chapter and gets just a paragraph or smth alike that in it where he turns adult again?


	4. Where?

Robbie knew Lazytown better than any of the other kids. He knew the obvious hiding places and knew the better ones. Not to argue that it was easy to locate Stingy in the beginning, since he kept yelling "This is MY hiding spot!" at someone else.

They had agreed not to hide inside of buildings and not to leave town, so the forest and the billboard were no hiding places. But Robbie didn't mind at all, he was sure the pink girl -Stephanie?- wouldn't find him anyways. He knew a great place to hide near the school. He used to hide here all the time, when he still visited the school.

While he was hiding there, he got thinking once more. The other kids didn't seem too bad for now. They seemed happy to play with him, but they didn't know him either. They'd probably start to dislike him soon enough, like everyone else did. But maybe that Sportacus guy would be nice. Robbie couldn't tell yet, everyone seemed nice at first after all.

Yawning, he rubbed his eyes. He had no idea why he was feeling tired, probably because of all the excitement today. He had been an adult after all before this, who knew what he had done before he had turned into a child? Maybe something really exhausting! So closing his eyes for a few minutes wouldn't hurt, right? Especially since he was hiding...

**oo**

He woke up to the distant calling of his name. At first, he froze in his spot, tense and listening closely. But he recognized the voices as the "new" kids, and they sounded like they were more concerned than anything. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he crawled out of his hiding space and stretched, walking towards the voices.

"Robert! There you are! We were worried!", Stephanie exclaimed when she spotted the younger child, running over to him. He looked sheepishly to the side, fidgeting with his hands again.  
"I'm sorry", he mumbled, "I fell asleep...". He hoped she wouldn't get mad, they had been playing after all! She surely didn't want to play with him again...

"It's no problem Robert, you had looked a little tired before we started to play!", Stephanie smiled kindly at Robbie, not minding at all that he had napped and that they had to search for him for a while. "But you did have a great hiding spot!", she complimented with a grin then.

Robbie had been a little shocked upon hearing that it was okay, blushing lightly at her compliment. He was really glad she didn't mind and was so considerate. It was like she really thought of him of a friend!

"Maybe you should head home and get some sleep though. We can play again tomorrow!", Stephanie was concerned for her new friend. If he was tired and fell asleep while playing, he should really rest! And it was getting late slowly anyways, she and the other's wouldn't play that much longer as well.

"Y-yeah, you're right..", Robbie nodded, faking a little smile. He... didn't find it in him to tell her, that he had nowhere to go currently. He'd ask Sportacus what he should do though, he just hoped he'd find him.

"See you tomorrow, Robert!", Stephanie giggled softly, ruffling his hair a little, before skipping away. Robbie grumbled a little when his hair was ruffled, but couldn't help a genuine small smile from spreading on his lips. It was such a nice gesture...

**oo**

Robbie was walking around, looking how the town had changed and how it had stayed the same. There was a treehouse he didn't know, did those kids build it? And that strange stone was complete now too, "Lazytown should always be happy" it read. Huh, interesting. He would've thought it should always be lazy, judging by the name.

Not watching where he was going, he stepped on some leafs on the ground. No big deal normally, but these leafs hid a hole in the road beneath them. A startled yelp escaped the boy as he fell down into the hole. It was almost twice his size! He would never be able to get out of here alone. And falling down here had hurt as well...

He took shaky deep breaths, rubbing at his eyes to keep tears away. He shouldn't cry! He was a big boy, and big boys didn't cry! Instead he helplessly looked up to the sky, hoping that the hero's crystal would know he is in trouble..

**oo**

Sportacus had just wanted to go play with the kids, when his crystal beeped. "Someone's in trouble!", he exclaimed, like always sprinting off to follow his intuition to wherever there was trouble.

He could see the hole in the road already, guessing someone had falling inside. He wondered why the person didn't call for help, they couldn't be waiting for long. Looking down, he was met with the big stormy grey eyes of Robbie.

"Need help?", Sportacus asked with a chuckle, not even waiting for a reply when he laid on his chest to reach down to grab Robbie's hand. The kid was surprised by this, looking away for a moment, before reaching up and grabbing Sportacus' hand. The hero could easily pull him up, Robbie settling on the ground and getting back to his feet, just like Sportacus.

"Can I... ask you something?", Robbie asked then, a bit hesitant. It was almost like he was scared of Sportacus, though he seemed more unsure about the hero than really scared.  
"Of course you can! Anything and anytime", Sportacus smiled at the kid, hoping he would warm up to him soon. He didn't want him to be uncomfortable around him after all.

"I.. I don't know where to stay and... and I don't want to bother the other's... or have to explain this strange ordeal..", Robbie started, looking away from Sportacus and fidgeting with his hands again. It was a habit he had when he was nervous.

"Do you want to stay with me tonight, Robert?", Sportacus asked with a gentle smile. He could understand that he didn't want to explain to the other kids that he wasn't supposed to be here -or like this- and who he really was. The kids knew his adult-self after all and would surely react in some kind of way Robbie wouldn't want to find out in the evening while being tired.

"I- uhm... t-that'd be g-great", Robbie nodded, stuttering more than usual. Seems like he didn't actually want to stay with the hero, but he did prefer to stay with the -for now- friendly hero. Even though he probably lived someway or another in the air, like the other one had.

"Then let's go, alright? It's pretty late already after all", Sportacus smiled and offered Robbie a hand to hold. The kid refused though, walking in silence with Sportacus then, just fidgeting with his hands like he mostly always did.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter! Wuhu!  
> Sadly, the next one will be rather short again, like chapter 1 maybe. Sorry orz  
> But yo, I really enjoy writing this fic! I love the little Robbie ^3^  
> Important question:  
> Should Robbie stay as a child in the last chapter, turn into an adult in the last chapter or is still a child in the last chapter and gets just a paragraph or smth like that in it where he turns adult again?  
> I'm leaning towards the last option, but maybe also just the first? Though I dunno. More likely the last...


	5. Sleepover

Robbie was clinging to Sportacus' back, face pressed against his back and eyes squeezed shut. Under normal circumstances, he'd never do this. But they were currently on their way up into the airship, which required climbing a free swinging ladder upwards for far too many feet. And Robbie wasn't only not very athletic, but also _terrified_ of heights.

When Sportacus reached the top and they were finally inside the airship, he lightly tapped on Robbie's hands, which were tightly holding onto Sportacus, dug deep into his vest.  
"We've arrived", Sportacus informed the kid, who in return slowly opened one eye and then the other. Seeing the blinding white inside of the airship, his grip loosened as well. Deciding it was safe to stand on his own feet, he hopped down from Sportacus' back and landed onto his own two feet. He curiously looked around, but didn't move from his spot.

"Welcome to my home!", Sportacus announced happily. There haven't been many people inside, or very often, though he didn't actually mind. It was more the way to get up here, that was bothersome and tiresome, especially for children. And he didn't land his airship that often after all, mostly only when he had to.

"So empty...", Robbie muttered. If Sportacus weren't here, he wouldn't be able to stand being here. It was far too empty here, no furniture here. He saw many buttons on the walls and saw the fruits and water thing, saw shapes in the wall where things probably moved, doors like closets or something along those lines. It was very strange in his opinion, but seeing how much Sportacus moved, he probably needed space to exercise here.

"Do you want something to eat?", Sportacus then asked, smiling at Robbie. "A healthy dinner is very important!", and with those words, he flipped over to where the fruits resided. Robbie watched him jump and flip around, preparing something to eat apparently. It made the kid frown, why did he need to move so much around? It'd be way faster to just _stand_ there and do all of that.

"Here you go Robert!", Sportacus gave Robbie a sandwich, with healthy stuff on it. The kid's face scrunched up, but he took it. He had to eat worse things before, so he didn't particularly mind. Though he'd prefer something sweet over healthy stuff anytime.

While they ate in silence, Robbie looked around the airship, before just settling his gaze on Sportacus. He was really strange to him. His crystal was loud and made an annoying sound. He actually lived in this airship, above Lazytown, and not somewhere else. It looked like he only took care of this one town as well. He was a health-freak and extreme athlete like Nine too though. And since he was friends with such young kids, like Ziggy, he surely was a very nice guy too.

"You're strange", Robbie commented finally. It made Sportacus laugh softly. He could imagine that he'd be strange to someone who was used to someone completely different.  
"Am I really?", he asked then, with a grin and happy tone of voice. He didn't mind being called strange at all.

"Yes", Robbie nodded without hesitation. Sportacus was a weird person and he disliked it a little. At least he was a weird and _nice_ person, otherwise it'd be worse. Suddenly, he had to stiffle a yawn, though didn't really succeed. He was still very tired, the nap he had had earlier was far too short.

"Let's get you to bed, alright?", Sportacus smiled at Robbie, who nodded slightly. He watched the hero shout command to the airship and things happening in response. Sportacus made Robbie a make-shift bed on the ground, with blankets and pillow. It almost looked like a little cloud for Robbie to sleep on.

"I should go to bed soon as well", Sportacus noted, seeing the time. It was almost 8:08! But Robbie didn't really listen to him, instead pulling off his shoes and the sweater vest, carefully laying them onto his bed. He pushed it to the corner a little more, wanting to be close to a wall with his back, before cuddling inside of it.

He barely noticed what Sportacus did anymore, soon drifting off to sleep. He was far too comfortable to feel scared or concerned or look what Sportacus was doing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like the next chapter  
> Who wants the next chapter today? Because this is really short and you know  
> I like the next chapter?


	6. A haunting number

Robbie was in the sports field. It was dusk, the sun slowly setting. It gave everything a beautiful golden hue, giving the ground that special sparkle. He wasn't alone though, around him where other kids. He knew them all too well, all older than him.

They were mocking him, making fun of him. Calling him names. Robbie never really went outside after all, he stayed inside most of the time. His mother barely at home, normally in the next town, and his dad never at home either. And he was one of the few rich kids as well. Perfect material for bullying.

Suddenly they quieted down, dispersing with chuckles and grins. Up came a man, wearing mostly orange and yellow, with brown leather. A nine on his chest and on his back. At the end of his hat a small round crystal.

Robbie didn't hear what he was saying, since he was still cowering on the ground, hiding underneath his arms. He was shaking and whimpering, hoping that he could just go home. Nine gently took his hands and pulled them away from Robbie, pulling the small child to his feet.

"N-no, I- I don't wanna- l-let me g-go", Robbie's voice was weak, just like his attempts to pull his hand away from Nine. He didn't have much strength in him anyways, so it was easy for Nine to pick Robbie up and hold him close to his chest.

Robbie could feel Nine talking, the vibrations it send through the man. He tried to push himself away, get out of his arms, away from his strong grip, but he couldn't and he knew that. He still tried, like he tried every time. But he was tired, he always was when he was in Nine's arms, when he carried him away. Robbie didn't know why, maybe because Nine always "saved" him from the bullies and Robbie was always worn out after that, or maybe it was some kind of strange magic -wasn't Nine an elf? Robbie never could clearly remember.

He leaned his head against Nine's chest, finally giving in to sleep. He could hear Nine saying his name, calling him _Robbie_ , like a mantra, repeating it like he needed to address Robbie, to let the child know he was talking to him. Robbie could feel the hand going through his hair, messing it up and getting it back into its more natural state -slightly curly. But then Robbie was out like a light, fast asleep.

**oo**

Robbie was turning and tossing in his sleep, muttering quietly to himself. He had kicked off the blanket long ago, finally settling into curling up and hugging a pillow close to himself, burying his face in it.

Sportacus didn't notice at first. After he woke up at sunrise, he got breakfast and his morning exercise, letting Robbie sleep, knowing how much his adult-self liked to sleep long into the afternoon. But when the hero did check up on the sleeping child, he noticed how tightly he was curled in on himself, could see him shaking lightly and whimpering softly.

"Robert? Hey, wake up", he carefully shook the boys shoulders, trying to wake him up. He was concerned, what did Robbie dream about? It seemed like he had a bad nightmare, so it'd be better to wake him up.

"Robert, come on. The sun is up and shining!", Sportacus didn't want to raise his voice much more, or be more forceful. He was a gentle guy and didn't want to startle Robbie awake. At least not if he could avoid it.

"Robbie!", it was his last try to get Robbie to wake up. And Robbie finally woke up, startled by hearing his nickname being called. He immediately scrambled away from Sportacus. Robbie looked scared, _terrified_ , of the man. He stayed silent though, but his eyes were wide and his breathing quick.

Sportacus' features were so similar to Nine's, the same kind of eyes. But the concerned look on Sportacus' face was _real_. Robbie could tell that it was, he knew how fake concern looked like. And that look wasn't fake. Sportacus really was concerned about Robbie, but knew he shouldn't get close to the child while he was so frightened.

"It's alright", Sportacus offered a gentle smile for Robbie, hoping to help him calm down. He just looked at him, slowly taking deep shaky breaths. Robbie was still scared and didn't know what to do, if he could and should trust Sportacus.

Finally, he decided. Sportacus had been much nicer than Nine had, so he wanted to trust the hero. He slowly crawled towards Sportacus, who held out a hand, like an offer to help ground Robbie. And the kid hesitated only a moment longer, before he took the hand offered to him.

Sportacus pulled Robbie close to his chest, gently hugging him and holding him close. He'd let go of Robbie if he felt him push him away or something like that, but Robbie leaned against Sportacus' chest, laying his little fists against it as well, like he laid on a pillow.

The hero gently rocked Robbie, just holding him close and rubbing small circles onto his back with his thumb. Robbie seemed to calm down slowly, but stayed silent the whole time. And Sportacus did as well, not wanting to make Robbie uncomfortable.

He was sure Robbie would talk to him about his dream if he wanted to. Sportacus wouldn't pressure him into saying anything, as long as he didn't want to talk.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder why Robbie dislikes Nine so much. And his nickname too. Hmmm  
> I REALLY LIKE THIS CHAPTER so that's why you get it today! Two chapters in one day!  
> Also Robbie gains some trust for Sportacus! Yay!  
> The next chapter will come tomorrow like always, if I write a new one as well.  
> I do have 2 chapters written down, but you know. I like to have more written than I have to post (which would make 2 okay)  
> ANYWAYS tell me what you think? ^3^


	7. Robbie Rotten?!

After Robbie had eaten something for breakfast, which were a few apple slices and a small glass of milk, Sportacus asked him if he wanted to go down into the town again. Robbie had stayed very quiet after his nightmare and hadn't really said anything anymore, just humming his answers, nodding or shaking his head.

Thinking a moment about the question, Robbie soon nodded. He'd like to take his mind off of his bad dream, and playing with everyone sounded like a good way to do that. So he walked over to the hero again, fidgeting with his hands a little again, before looking up to Sportacus.

"Are you sure Robert?", Sportacus asked, concerned about the little guy. He cared for Robbie, he was his friend. And when he was so silent, he just worried that Robbie wouldn't have fun playing with the other's or that the nightmare still affected him.

"...sure", Robbie said, his voice quiet, and nodded. Sportacus wasn't entirely satisfied with the answer, but nodded. He knelt down and Robbie climbed up onto his back, holding tightly onto him. Sportacus began his ascend then, climbing down the ladder. He did jump down the last few feet though, making Robbie flinch in surprise and hold on tighter.

Hopping off the wall he had landed on, the kids soon spotted him and rushed towards him. He let Robbie get down and onto his own two feet, while the kids gathered in front of him.

"Sportacus!", "Good morning Sportacus!", "Hi Sportacus!", were various greetings the kids used, smiling brightly at their hero.  
"Oh, good morning Robert!", Stephanie noticed the little guy behind Sportacus, hesitantly standing besides him then. "Were you with Sportacus?", she asked, curious, and received a nod from the child. The others instantly seemed intrigued, surprised and Stingy seemed jealous of course.

"How come _he_ got to be in Sportacus airship? _I_ wanted that the most!", the jealous boy said, missing his "privileges" he normally had. Sportacus was _his_ hero as well after all.

"Why was he with you Sportacus?", Ziggy asked, ignoring Stingy like the others did as well. Sportacus seemed not to know how to answer, which confused the others greatly. Robbie apparently had spent the night with Sportacus, but why?

"Robert, don't you have a family?", Stephanie asked then, concerned. Robbie though got uncomfortable, fidgeting with his hands and only looking at the ground. He hoped no one would mind his "secret", because he was sure they'd need to tell them now.

"Well, you see kids, Robert is someone you actually know really well", Sportacus began, earning confused looks as result. He wasn't sure how to say it without surprising the kids, but he really needed to tell them. They would've found out sooner or later anyways.  
"It's Robbie", he whispered then, so that Robbie didn't hear. He wasn't sure, but, he thought that he disliked the nickname. It had been the thing that had woken him up, but Sportacus felt it was a bad idea to call Robbie that for now. Sadly, the children didn't know that.

"Robbie Rotten?!", they exclaimed in shock. It made Robbie flinch backwards, away from then, and hide behind Sportacus like he feared them. The kids noticed that and looked concerned, why had he reacted like that? It seemed like he had no memory of his adult-self after all..

"Robbie, are you alright?", Stephanie asked, not thinking that she should still call him Robert. The reaction she got just made her more worried, and the others more confused. Robbie had _whimpered_ in response, hiding himself as good as he could behind Sportacus. Did he think they were going to hurt him?

"Robert, it's alright", Sportacus said, looking at the children when he said his name, before kneeling down and pulling Robbie close to him. The kid immediately clung to Sportacus, burying his face in his shoulder. He took shaky deep breaths, trying to calm down.

"I'm sorry Robert", Stephanie said then, using a gentle tone. She looked at the others, who got the message and apologized as well. They couldn't believe that this kid really was Robbie Rotten, the tall, mean and grumpy villain.

Robbie calmed down a little again, it was nice that they apologized and used his name again, and not that dreaded nickname. Everyone wondered why he used Robbie when he was an adult though, but they couldn't ask him. And when he would be an adult again, they shouldn't ask. It surely had personal reasons.

"How did this happen, Sportacus?", Stephanie asked then, looking at the hero.  
"It was a machine that he build", Sportacus replied, gently rubbing circles on Robbie's back. "Pixel, could you take a look at it later?", he asked then, looking at the gizmo guy.  
"Sure thing, Sportacus!", Pixel nodded, curious to inspect something Robbie had built. He always had the strangest machines, and so many self-build, that Pixel had respect for Robbie in that sense.

"How about we play a game now?", Trixie suggested, disliking the mood that hung around. Time to take their mind off of this and play some soccer! Or something like that. She almost immediately got positive responses and they hurried towards the sports field.

"Do you want to play too, Robert?", Sportacus asked, Robbie now letting go of him as well. He rubbed his eyes and nodded slightly. He'd like to play with the others, and forget that this happened. So he quickly hurried after the kids, after Sportacus pushed him gently and gave him an encouraging smile.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now everybody knows it's Robbie and still like him  
> I need to write more, I only have 1 more chapter written down  
> And I don't think there will be many more chapters, I'm running out of ideas..


	8. In the closet

 

The kids happily played soccer together, though Robbie was quickly out of breath. After half of the game, Robbie decided to sit out and just watch them. He really had fun playing with them, laughing and smiling with them together. But seeing them happily play even without him, let his smile fall. Of course they would still have fun without him, it shouldn't bother him, but it just does. He never had friends before, who liked playing with him, so that probably was the reason why he was so bothered by it.

He fell deep into his thoughts, while he was sitting on the ground and leaning against the wall. He was curled up on himself, making him look smaller than the already was. He didn't notice when the kids took a break to get some snacks and went over to him, so that he had some company.

"Hey Robert", Stephanie greeted with a smile, sitting down next to Robbie. It startled him out of his thoughts, making him look up. Seeing Stephanie and everyone else, he smiled softly. He hadn't really thought they would come to him during their break, but it was a pleasant surprise.

"Hello", he greeted them all, the other's responding as well. They had some water bottles and sportscandy, which Robbie didn't really want. Even though they tried to convince him to eat something, he just said he'd get something later, so they gave up on it.

After a while, Trixie got up and went to Robbie. "Yo Rob! I wanna show you something!", she said and extended a hand towards him. Stephanie looked suspiciously at her, she didn't want her to trick Robbie. He still seemed uncertain about all of their friendship after all.

"O- okay", Robbie took her hand and let himself be pulled to his feet. He was curious what she wanted to show him, and he didn't know that Trixie was prone to prank people and cause -harmless- trouble.

The girl pulled Robbie along then. "We're gonna play a prank on Pinky", Trixie informed Robbie, who looked uncomfortable with the idea, but was still dragged along by his hand.  
"Nothing harmful of course, just to scare her a little!", Trixie had seen his expression, so she wanted to ease his mind a bit. She had chosen him and at this time, because Stephanie was sure to show up and wanted to make sure Robbie was alright.

Trixie dragged him into city hall, knowing that Stephanie would surely come up soon then. After all, Trixie wouldn't really have anything interesting to show Robbie here.  
"You're gonna hide in this closet, while I..", Robbie didn't really listen to her further, just hearing he had to hide in a closet made him tense up. Trixie didn't notice though and let go of his hand when they were in front of the closet in question.

"T-tricky I- I don't really l-like this idea...", Robbie stuttered, not really remembering her name just yet. The girl didn't seem to notice though, since she focused more on the prank she had planned than her name.

"It's alright, just get in!", Trixie said and shoved Robbie inside the closet, closing the door. And surely not soon after, Stephanie came into city hall and looked around, spotting Trixie without Robbie. The girl hoped that Robbie would burst out of the closet, even if he had seemed uncomfortable about the idea.

While the girls talked -or rather argued- neither of them thought about Robbie in the closet, who was very quiet and didn't just come out again.

**oo**

The girls only stopped bickering back and forth when Sportacus suddenly came inside, looking around like he was searching for someone. He walked over to Trixie and Stephanie, seeing that both were alright, just confused why he was here.

"Someone's in trouble, and I felt like it came from here", Sportacus explained, making the two girls frown, until Trixie remembered Robbie in the closet. Pointing that out, Sportacus immediately opened the closet, but carefully. He was really worried for Robbie.

The little guy was curled up in on himself, hiding his face in his knees and under his arms, his hands tightly hold into his hair. He was shaking rather badly and whimpering. He looked absolutely terrified, even though nothing had happened to make him this scared.

The girls were astonished, they wouldn't have expected this. It made them both very worried though, and Trixie felt slightly guilty as well. It was her fault after all, she had pushed him into the closet. And they both had argued too...

Sportacus carefully pulled the frightened boy towards him, holding him close to his chest. Robbie instinctively clung to him, burying his face in his chest and sobbing softly. Sportacus gently hushed him, rubbing soothing circles onto his back and softly muttering to him, that everything was alright, that he was safe and nothing would happen.

Stephanie and Trixie decided to leave them both alone, going to tell the others that Sportacus and Robbie were a little occupied at the moment. They'd apologize later for arguing, and Trixie would hopefully also for pushing him into the closet.

Sportacus meanwhile just sat on the ground with Robbie in his arms, trying to calm him down. It took him quite some time, but surely enough, Robbie had calmed down again. He was still clinging to him though, not wanting for him to leave him alone.

"Do you want to talk about it?", Sportacus asked softly after a moment of silence. Robbie didn't reply for a few minutes, which made the hero think he wasn't going to answer, when he heard a little "later" mumbled.  
"Take your time, okay?", Sportacus smiled softly at Robbie, even though the child still had his head leaned against the hero's chest. He could feel Robbie nodding and was relieved. He was really worried about Robbie, his childhood didn't seem to have been very good..

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, sorry orz  
> It's time to write more again now, this is the last I had written out  
> Like I mentioned before, there probably won't be many more chapters. Depending on how long they'll get though of course  
> I have one more scenario planned and I do want to explain some more things about Robbie's past...  
> What would you think about a flashback chapter? I dunno if I should add one. Maybe add it into a normal chapter? Waddya want folks?


	9. Not very hero-like

The rest of the day was spent without further incident. Robbie soon was just as happy as he had been when they had first been playing and had forgotten about earlier. They tried to play as many games as possible, thinking of how to play active games that would rest Robbie long enough for him to not get exhausted. They did manage to play soccer as well, Robbie being the goalie. He wasn't that great at it, but no one minded it at all. So Robbie didn't mind much either!

When it got late once more, everyone said their goodbyes. Robbie was smiling happily and waved at the others, smiling brightly at Sportacus when he approached. He had mostly played together with the kids, sometimes going off to save the kitten or the Mayor -even Ms Busybody too. The hero was incredibly happy to see Robbie smiling so brightly and happily, it seemed like a rare sight.

"How was your day, Robert?", Sportacus asked, kneeling down to let the child climb onto his back.  
"It was great! We played a lot, and I think the others really do like me!", Robbie told Sportacus happily, holding tightly onto him while the hero stood up again and called for the ladder. Hearing how Robbie phrased his sentence, Sportacus wondered if Robbie had thought the other kids hadn't liked him. He was glad that he didn't think so now at least.

"I'm glad that you're all friends now", Sportacus said, smiling, while he climbed up the ladder. He could feel Robbie clinging to him and hiding his face against his back, because of his fear of heights. Sportacus was proud of Robbie to still come up to his airship with him, despite of it.

Once up in the airship, Sportacus got Robbie to eat a healthy sandwich. Well, mostly healthy. The hero did have peanut butter here, so he made Robbie something with it. It made the child more cooperative with eating something healthy on the bread as well.

"Sportacus", Robbie watched Sportacus flip and jump while making himself his own sandwich, while Robbie sat at the side on the ground, munching on his own food. He did get the attention of the hero though, so he continued. "Why did the others react like that to my name?", he asked, genuinely confused. He was worrying over it, especially since he now had time to think.

"Well", Sportacus started, stopping his moving around to focus on Robbie. He didn't quite now what to say, what to tell the child. How would Robbie react to that?  
"When you're an adult, you play around a lot with everyone. Wearing costumes and making machines", Sportacus finally settled on. It didn't sound like anything bad after all, right? It sounded like harmless fun, something that didn't sound like Robbie was a bad person as adult -which he really wasn't after all!

Robbie nodded slightly, but his face fell. His gaze lowered to the ground, his expression more sad than before, while he munched away at his sandwich.  
"I really lived up to my name, didn't I?", he muttered finally, looking back up to Sportacus who now had his own sandwich. It kind of startled the hero, when Robbie suddenly had talked again.

"What do you mean?", he asked, worried what Robbie was thinking about. Had he really always been this negative? He knew that the adult Robbie was rather negative, but had at least things which motivated him. His tricks, schemes, disguises and plans, trying to get Sportacus out of town. But this child, young Robbie Rotten, didn't seem to have much to anything that motivated him.

"I mean... I'm really rotten, aren't I? Or, haven't I?", Robbie looked away from Sportacus, feeling bad. He didn't want to be rotten, to be a bad person. He always wanted to have friends and fun, but it seemed like he hadn't succeeded in that when he became an adult.

"No, no you're not rotten Robert", Sportacus laid down his sandwich and walked to Robbie, kneeling down in front of him. "You're a great person. Your life just was hard on you, and I'm sorry for that". Sportacus really wanted to help Robbie, but he knew he was too late. The hero before him should have taken care of Robbie, that he grew up healthy and with friends.

"It's not your fault..", Robbie mumbled and went to hug Sportacus, who, of course, didn't refuse. He pulled the kid close to himself, holding Robbie. "You're a nice hero... you'd never be at fault for something like me", his voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, but Sportacus heard it. It made him even more concerned about Robbie's past.

"Robert... can I ask you, why you dislike your nickname?", Sportacus asked softly. He wouldn't force Robbie to tell him, but it seemed like a good time to ask right now. And Robbie could just stay silent if he didn't want to respond. It did seem like he wouldn't, he had tensed up at the question and held slightly tighter onto the hero.

"... H-he had always called me that", he answered after a good moment, his voice quiet and slightly shaky as well. "Nine... always called me that..". He clearly disliked the hero before Sportacus, something bad must have happened between them. And it made Sportacus a little scared, thinking about what the elf before him could've done to a _child_.

"Do you want to tell me what Nine did?", Sportacus gently pushed, wanting to know more. He was careful with his questions, hoping he wouldn't go too far with them. He was just concerned for Robbie and a little angry at Nine for making Robbie the way he is.

"...He.. often brought me to his home...", Robbie mumbled. "I was always so sleepy in his arms... though I never wanted to... I always fell asleep..", his grip got tighter on Sportacus and he buried his face in the hero's chest. "I hate him", he quietly said, his voice shaky, with tears in his eyes.

Sportacus hold on Robbie got a little tighter, like he wanted to protect the boy from everything, from his memories, from things he couldn't change anymore. Nine had used _magic_ on Robbie, that much was clear to the hero. Just to make Robbie unable to get away from him, because Robbie didn't want to go with him. And what did he do to Robbie? There were so many things you could do to a child to make them _terrified_ of you...

"It's okay Robert... I'm here, you're safe... I won't hurt you..", Sportacus muttered quietly, gently rubbing soothing circles onto Robbie's back. He could feel him shaking with tears, the quiet sobs leaving him. It broke Sportacus' heart, to know that someone -a _hero_ \- had inflicted such fear in Robbie, that he had been scared upon seeing Sportacus and flinched away in fear when he heard someone call him "Robbie".

He noticed that Robbie had fallen asleep, his breathing evened out and no more sobs coming from him. He was peaceful and quiet, but still holding onto Sportacus tightly. He felt safe with the hero, which made Sportacus glad. He was happy that Robbie trusted him and felt safe enough to fall asleep in his arms. He carefully got up on his feet, softly calling for the bed. Pulling Robbie's shoes off with one hand, he carefully laid down.

He'd make sure that Robbie would sleep well tonight, and long as well. There shouldn't be anything bothering Robbie tonight, not after what had already happened today. And a little bit of magic, just to let Robbie have nice dreams, wouldn't hurt.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we learn a little more!  
> And next chapter, we will also learn something more hopefully  
> I plan on it at least, though it probably won't be much, I dunno yet


	10. Memories

 

It was in the middle of the night. Robbie was used to being extremely silent when he woke up in the night and moved around. Being in the airship of Sportacus in the middle of the night was a little scary. When he first woke up, he had been scared. It was really dark in here, so he had tried to hide under his blanket and fall back asleep. Sadly, he couldn't sleep any longer. So he had gotten up and carefully looked towards Sportacus, curious to see the hero sleep, careful not to wake him up while he looked around.

_The door was cracked open. A slit of light shining into the hallway, the soft shine coming from the bedside table lamp. There were coming strange sounds from the bedroom, and Robbie knew what those where. He peeked inside, seeing the bared back of a woman. He could tell it was another stranger, her hair was different from his mother's.  
His mom was outside of town tonight, of course his father would use this opportunity. Robbie turned away just a second after, pressing his hands to his ears and shaking his head. He had to ignore it, it would be alright. Parents always loved each other, right? Right. Of course they did._

Seeing him sleeping so peacefully, fully clothed, Robbie wondered if Sportacus never took his clothes off. Sure, it was convenient to be clothed if his crystal would start to beep in the night, but wasn't it uncomfortable? He wondered if he changed his clothes though. He probably did, he hoped so! It reminded him, that he would need a change of clothes again too. He couldn't keep wearing the same clothes everyday after all, especially since he did sport in them and slept in them too..

He sighed softly, pulling at his shirt a little. He'd tell Sportacus the next day, that he'd need more clothes, if he was going to stay like this for longer. And it really seemed like he would, though he didn't very much mind it. He liked having friends and being able to play. Though it was strange to not be with his parents, in his home.

Getting lost in thought, Robbie only moved again after maybe an hour or two of thinking. He was carefully climbing up onto the side of Sportacus' bed, careful not to wake the hero. But he was curious about his crystal and would love to look at it. He knew he shouldn't fumble around with it, but Sportacus didn't seem like someone who got very angry at people. So he surely wouldn't scold him too bad...

_He knew he had made a mistake. Why had he grabbed it? Or better yet, why hadn't he_ _ **let go of it?**_ _Now the crystal was in his hand, ripped off from the hat it belonged to. Robbie stumbled backwards, feeling the atmosphere in the room shift. The man in front of him was angry, Robbie could_ _ **feel it.**_ _And it made him **terrified.**_  
_He turned around, a scowl on his face, a glare in his eyes. Robbie was shaking, frozen where he was, unable to move. The elf's words were like daggers, they made Robbie flinch and stumble away from him, though he just approached him in steady steps._  
_Soon, Robbie's back was against the wall, his hand still clenched around the crystal. He could feel how warm it was, and it made him scared. But not as much when he saw the so called hero raise his hand slowly. The boy's eyes widened, before he quickly shut them, squeezed them shut, when he could already feel it._  
_It stung. It_ _ **burned.**_ _It hurt extremely, tears sprang to Robbie's eyes and he let the crystal drop to the ground. He tried to take deep breaths, to keep himself calm, but they were shaky. He could hear the man in front of him yelling at him, but Robbie didn't dare look at him. Only when he was hit_ _ **again**_ _, did he open his eyes to look at him._

Robbie had managed to get the crystal out of its case, but didn't try to get it out from the piece of the casing it was attached to. With it in his hands, he dragged his blanket with him to the front of the airship, where the little moonlight shone inside. He laid out the blanket onto the glass, before settling down there. He wouldn't dare look down to see how far above he was, but he could look up and into the night sky.

He eyed the crystal curiously, turning it in his hands and watching it reflect the moonlight off of it. It looked the same as Nine's had, but why was it different then? At least the sound it made when someone was in trouble was different. This crystal beeped loudly and shone in rainbow colours through the casing. Nine's crystal sounded like a little bell and chimed, only glowing a little.

Eventually, Robbie let the crystal rest on his chest under his hand, while he looked outside at the nightsky. It was comforting, how it never changed, no matter where he was. The stars were always there for him, the moon was always there for him. They let their light shine from lightyears away to them, never changing. It comforted Robbie, that some things wouldn't change dramatically.

**oo**

When Sportacus got up in the morning, he didn't notice at first that his crystal was missing or that Robbie wasn't next to the wall. Only when he had his breakfast and looked if Robbie was still asleep, did he notice the child missing. Looking around, he noticed him and his blanket laying next to his pilot seat. He smiled softly, imagining that Robbie had looked at the stars at night.

Walking over to Robbie, he noticed that he was holding something in his hand, holding it in place on top of his chest. He knelt besides him, trying to get a better look at what looked out from under his hand. He could make out the dark blue rim and grey, looking familiar. Looking at his chest, he noticed that his crystal was missing, so that was what Robbie was holding.

Carefully, Sportacus tried to take it from Robbie. He wondered how he had gotten it, and more importantly, why. But when he had almost gotten it from Robbie, the child woke up.  
They at first just looked at each other silently. But when Sportacus opened his mouth to speak, Robbie's eyes had widened in realization. He let go of the crystal and scooted away from Sportacus, not caring that he was on the glass now and not his blanket.

"I-I'm sorry I- I didn't mean to- I just- I-", he stuttered, looking anywhere but to Sportacus and not down. He finally fell silent and turned his head sideways, squeezing his eyes shut.  
"I'm sorry... r-really... I won't d-do it again..", he muttered quietly, trembling in _fear_. It made Sportacus worried and almost scared himself. He could guess that Robbie had taken Nine's crystal before and it had ended badly.

He put his crystal back into its casing, before looking at Robbie again. He didn't approach Robbie, fearing he could scare the child even further.  
"It's okay Robert", he said, his voice soft and even. "You know yourself you shouldn't just take things, right?", he asked, receiving a nod as answer.  
"I'm not mad at you. Everything's alright", he smiled gently at Robbie, who now carefully looked towards Sportacus. Seeing his gentle expression made him relax a little. The hero really didn't look mad at him, or angry.

Robbie carefully got up on his feet, before he noticed where he was. He gasped, eyes fixated on the ground, on the _endless sky beneath him_. His breathing got short and quick, eyes wide. He was standing on _glass_. Hundreds of feet above ground.  
"Robert, Robert, look at me", Sportacus said, trying to get Robbie to look at him. He noticed how Robbie reacted and it almost made him panic as well. He had to stay calm though, so that he would be able to help Robbie. "Focus on me".  
Robbie slowly looked over to Sportacus, trying to even out his breathing. He was _terrified_ and didn't feel like he could move. The hero held out his hands towards Robbie, he wasn't far away.  
"Just take one step at a time. Be brave little by little", he softly said, giving an encouraging smile. Robbie took little shaky steps, keeping his eyes on Sportacus. He was scared he could fall through the glass and plummet to his death, but he trusted Sportacus. And as soon as he grabbed the hands of the hero, he was pulled close to him, held tightly against his chest.

"I'm proud of you Robert", Sportacus gently said, holding the frightened child close to him. Robbie nodded a little, grateful for the praise. "Everything's fine now. Everything's alright. Don't worry anymore, okay?", he hummed gently, feeling Robbie nod slightly again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woa, long chapter yo  
> Well, relatively long of course, not _that_ long, but eh  
>  I really like the chapter though, it's a good chapter. Fueling hate for Nine some more too  
> And a little information onf Rob's past as well, huh


	11. Telltales

After Robbie ate a few slices of an apple, they once again descended. Sportacus left to finish his morning exercise and Robbie left to search for the other children. He found them soon at their clubhouse, where he hesitantly stood next to. When he was noticed, everyone greeted him happily and invited him to join them in their conversation.

Robbie mostly listened to them talk, glad that they weren't all talking at once, until the topic was shifted to himself. Now that they knew who he was, they were extremely curious.  
"Have you always lived here?", was one of the first questions. Luckily not a bad one, but Robbie could imagine what more would come, and he didn't look forward to it.

"I wasn't born here... but I lived most of my life here", Robbie answered. He remembered that he was born somewhere further away, but not exactly where. And he had traveled a lot too, it was a little confusing for him to remember exactly, really.

"Did you meet the hero before Sportacus?", Robbie looked a little uncomfortable at the question, but he nodded lightly. He did, and he didn't like lying to his friends. Friends trusted each other after all, right?

"Did he also have a crystal?", "Did he live in an airship?", "Was he as cool as Sportacus?", "Was he friends with everyone?", and a few more questions like these were thrown at Robbie, who shrunk away from them all. It was so much at once, he didn't know what to do. Thankfully, Stephanie calmed them all down and got Robbie room and time to breathe.

"Nine had a crystal too. It wasn't as loud or colourful as Sportacus' though", Robbie began, the memory of this morning fresh in his mind. It made him shudder lightly, but no one noticed. "It chimed like little bells and glowed softly, when someone was in trouble". He did like that crystal more, it wasn't as startling.

"Nine also took care of more than just Lazytown. His crystal chimed for trouble in the next towns as well. So he often wasn't around for a few days", Robbie then told them, causing whispering between them. They couldn't imagine Sportacus not being here with them all the time, they got into trouble so often! Though most of the trouble was rather minor normally.

"He didn't live in an airship, but he had a hot air balloon. Everyone always helped to pull it down and anchor it too", for Robbie, it was interesting to watched their reactions. For example, how Ziggy's face lit up with wonder at the mention of a hot air balloon. He could guess they were more rare these days, he hadn't seen one yet.

"And yes he was... friends, with everyone", his voice was a little quieter, he looked to the side. He hadn't been friends with him. But they didn't need to know that. He sighed softly and put on a fake smile. "He was just as active and healthy as Sportacus, always moving around and getting everyone out of their houses to exercise".

_He watched them, everyday. Sitting on his windowsill, watching the town from here. The only perk he had, living in a small mansion almost, up on a small hill with the other few richer people. From here, he could always watch the town._  
_He could see how Nine went to everyone's houses, dragging them outside, saying they should exercise. How he took away the candy of the children, saying they shouldn't eat it, only maybe once a week._ _ **Once a week**_ _, horror in Robbie's opinion. He craved sugar, like he wouldn't function without it. So not being allowed to eat it was horrible. Thankfully, he didn't listen to Nine._  
_Robbie watched them exercise, he could see one of the children collapsing from exhaustion. Nine wasn't only pushing them to their limits, but over them as well. And all they got to eat was "sportscandy" and water to drink. Sure, it was healthy, but not very satisfying. Why not give them sweets as rewards? The so called hero was a mystery for Robbie._  
_Why did everyone like him so much? He really didn't understand, Nine wasn't that charismatic or amazing, besides his stuns, flipping and jumping. Why would anyone push themselves so far to even_ _ **collapse**_ _just because of that? It made Robbie feel like Nine was hiding something from them all._

"Why did Nine leave, Robert?", was finally asked, and all other's agreed to the question. They all wanted to know! They clearly forgot Robbie's age, and that he maybe hadn't left while he was a child. And that was indeed the case, because the boy shrugged.  
"He hadn't left while I was... in this age", he answered them, disliking how he had to say it. He still couldn't believe that he was so many years in the future and supposed to be an adult. It was very bizarre for him.

"Oh", was the collective sound of the children, everyone falling silent. They had asked most of their questions and had gotten answers, no one really interested in Robbie's past -or not asking out of respect of the adult Robbie.  
"Wanna go play?", was the suggestion from one of them then, which got a collective agreement, from Robbie as well. So they quickly hurried off towards the sports field, ready to play.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another slightly longer chapter I believe!  
> I gotta write more, but I have no clue where this is going. At all.  
> And sorry that the chapters are so short... at least you get one everyday, right?  
> Right. Of course. Yeeeaah


	12. Differences

While playing, Robbie seemed rather distracted. He was lost in thought, thinking about some things he just wondered about. It were things from his own time, but also in this time. It was strange having to think of what just happened to him a few days ago actually having happened _years_ ago for everyone else. And no one would even know it, since no one he grew up with was still here -besides the Mayor and Ms Busybody.

When suddenly a ball was plunged into his chest, he stumbled backwards and fell to the ground with an oompf, resulting in Stephanie asking if he was alright. He nodded, he was fine, just a little startled. His chest did hurt a little though, so he didn't really want to move for a while. The others were okay with him sitting out for a while, so they continued playing.

When they took a break, they sat down next to Robbie, sitting in a circle like always.  
"You seem really distracted", Stephanie finally commented, making Robbie look up.  
"I'm just thinking", he replied with a sheepish smile. He knew he was rather distracted for a while now, but he wouldn't have thought it'd be this obvious.

"What'cha thinkin' 'bout?", Trixie asked, leaning forward a little. The others also wanted to know, curious what was on Robbie's mind to have him so distracted.  
"I just wondered why... well, why you all like Sportacus so much", Robbie said, his voice quiet. he didn't look up to them but to the ground, a little scared of their reaction. Not hearing anything from them though, he carefully looked up to them to see thinking expressions. No one seemed to mind the question, so he was relieved. He knew the people he knew would've gotten mad.

"He's a superhero! Of course I like him! He's so cool!", Ziggy answered with a bright smile. He genuinely liked Sportacus just because he was a hero and so nice and strong. Robbie could understand that, nodding with a soft smile.

"He's a really good rolemodel", Stephanie commented then. "He doesn't just tell us what to do, but does it himself too. And he encourages us all the time to do what we like doing!". The others agreed, nodding and just a general chorus of "yeah"s and "that's right".

"And he understands our boundaries and what we can and can't do", Pixel said then. "And if we can't do something, he tries to teach us! And if we still can't, he doesn't mind and finds other things we can do!". Once more, the other children agreed happily. They all loved Sportacus genuinely, because he was a genuinely nice person.

"He is generous as well", Stingy added then too. "Yeah! He even lend us his crystal a few times!", Ziggy agreed, making Robbie look surprised and a little in awe. Sportacus really did trust the kids, if he even gave them his _crystal_. It was the most important thing for a hero after all!

"Sportacus is really a great hero", Robbie concluded. He really sounded like such a nice person, he couldn't believe how much better he was than Nine. Robbie truly believed that, and he was happy he had put trust into Sportacus. He knew now, that he really could trust Sportacus.

"Was Nine not a good hero?", Stephanie asked then, wondering why Robbie was so surprised by it. She would've imagined that Nine was just as amazing as Sportacus was, but of course she couldn't know if he was or not. So why not ask Robbie? He could surely tell them how Nine was after all, he knew the hero!

"Oh, uhm, well..", Robbie looked around uncomfortably, fidgeting with his hands. "I- uhm.. I wasn't outside much.. I'm not very fit and like quiet activities.. without much moving... I wasn't very liked", he told them quietly. He actually hadn't been really minded, before Nine showed up. If Robbie was outside, no one cared about him. He was left alone, which had been fine with him. Well, some kids always had been bullies, but it never had been very bad.

"Nine was very active... like Sportacus. But he was a little more... forceful about it", he admitted. "Everyone _had_ to exercise, though no one minded it much. They got used to it quickly. But I couldn't keep up with them, getting out of breath quickly, so... I didn't come outside much anymore", Robbie didn't exactly like talking about it, but he tried to make it not sound so bad like it actually had been.

The children listened quietly to Robbie, nodding after his explanation. Nine did sound a little more strict, forceful, but not that bad. They kind of understood Robbie's discomfort about the hero, though they didn't exactly know much. But at least they had a better idea of it now.

"Well, we like you Robbie! And don't mind more relaxing games", Stephanie smiled at the boy, who returned her smile, nodding softly.  
"Yeah! And I'm not that great at sports either, so it's great to play something not so exhausting!", Pixel agreed. He was used to sitting for hours at home after all, so he wasn't very fit either. He loved to play with his friends of course, but it could get very exhausting quickly, depending on the game they played.

Robbie's smile grew, becoming more happy. He was really glad that he was able to make friends with them here, though he knew he couldn't stay like this forever. He'd have to go back to being an adult, as soon as they figured out how. He just hoped he'd remember this, so that he maybe could be friends with the children even as an adult.

"And you don't have to cut off all sweets to stay healthy!", Ziggy chimed in happily. He loved his candy and was glad he still could eat it everyday, he just had to be careful not too eat too much! Just a little every once in a while and with enough healthy things inbetween!

At the mention of sweets, Robbie was reminded that he hadn't have any for two days now. And he had barely eaten anything either, just a little fruit or a sandwich. He really craved sugar, feeling kind of sluggish without it.

"Do you think we could bake a cake?", Robbie asked his friends, looking hopeful. He'd love to bake a cake with everyone, it'd surely be fun! He usually baked alone after all, since he had no one else to really be there with him, but now... maybe they'd want to?

And he was met with excitement and agreement, the children all nodding and starting to happily talk about what kind of cake they should make. They all got up to their feet and started to walk to Stephanie's home, Robbie following them all. Once he got pulled into the conversation though, they walked all together as a group, him not lagging behind.

With Robbie joining the conversation, they had decided on a cake they wanted to make when they entered the house. Everyone helped gathering the supplies and things they needed, Stephanie and Robbie searching for the right recipe in the cooking book she owned. Robbie admitted that he never had cooked, or baked, with recipes from a book, but from hand-written ones by his grandmother. Ziggy also told them that his mother hand-wrote recipes to cook by too! But of course there was no right or wrong way to do it.

While they began to make the batter, Stephanie happily began to hum and soon started to sing a rather cheery song. The others joined in, though Robbie just hummed along. It was a really fun time for everyone and in the end, they had a beautiful cake. They carefully added the icing and some decorations and then admired their work. It was the best cake Robbie had ever helped making and he was extremely happy about it.

Everyone got a nice slice of the cake, Robbie a nice big one just like Ziggy, and they settled down at the table. The cake tasted just like it looked like, truly amazing. They were all happy with the choice they had made and were thankful for Robbie's suggestion to make this cake, which made him embarrassed a little, not used to positive attention.

When he was halfway done with his slice, he looked puzzled for a moment, before voicing his thought. "Can Sportacus eat sugar?". It took the others by surprise, not having suspected the question, but Stephanie was quick to answer.  
"No. He'd have a sugar meltdown!", she answered. But she got a confused look from Robbie at that. "Don't you know what a sugar meltdown is?", she asked him and he shook his head as answer.  
"He collapses if he eats sugar! And then needs sportscandy!", Ziggy explained with a proud smile. Robbie nodded at that, thankful for the explanation.

"Didn't Nine have that?", Pixel asked then, curious to gather more information about the former hero of Lazytown. Robbie was thinking for a moment, before he could give them an answer.  
"He could eat sugar, but not much... I think it drained his energy? I bet he could've had sugar meltdowns too, if he ate too much of it", he told them. He never really had seen him eat sweets, but the hero had told the kids about it, as example of how bad sugar would be for them. Of course, Robbie didn't believe that sugar was that bad, but he learned not to go against Nine's words.

"Maybe every hero is different with sugar!", Stephanie concluded. It would make sense, though they all agreed that every hero probably couldn't have too much sugar. It be kind of strange if there was a hero who could eat all the sugar he wanted to, but who would know? They didn't and Sportacus probably wouldn't either.

Their conversation now dying down, they decided they had to play a game. Well, _had to_ was exaggerated, but they were bored of just sitting around and doing nothing. And now that Robbie had sugar in him again, he felt much better and energetic too. Maybe he really did need sugar more than healthy stuff.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter yet I believe, woah  
> I think I'll make the next one a flashback one, or mostly flashback. I wanna write more with Nine xD  
> Because we all dislike Nine. And I punched him in the face, if you haven't seen yet! Just look in the series, I made a 334 words fic for it xD  
> So, I hope you enjoy this! And yeah, new headcanons mean that the story changes a little, though I hope it isn't that obvious ^^;


	13. Not the hero he needed

_Robbie sat down on his windowsill, a plate with a slice of cake on it in his hands. He got comfortable where he was, looking outside. It was a bright and sunny day, like it had been the last few days, where Robbie had been sick and stayed in bed. It was an early afternoon and he could see the kids outside playing. It wasn't an unusual sight, but something bothered Robbie. There with the children was an adult. He didn't look very old, but he looked strange._

_The man wore mustard yellow pants, leather boots and something like a vest made out of leather as well. And he wore an orange hat, with something at the end of it, which sparkled in the sun. Robbie could make out that something was on his chest-piece, but not what. When the man had his back turned to him though, Robbie could see a big 9. It made Robbie frown, wondering what it meant._

_The kid watched them play, while he ate his cake. He hadn't have much cake -or sugar in general- while he had been sick, so he was happy to get some now. And while eating and watching the town, he wondered who that man was and when he had arrived here. Probably in the last few days, since Robbie hadn't been able to look outside much in those days._

_His mom had told him not to move to much today, so that he could recover his energy, so he had planned to spend the day watching the people outside and play by himself inside. And he did just that, watching them outside and playing some games on his own, drawing or playing around with some machines._

_He was a little jealous of the kids outside, playing with that strange guy. He seemed very energetic and he was very athletic. He could do all kinds of stuff, he was jumping and flipping and running everywhere. He participated in every sports game they played and got the kids to exercise more than usual. Robbie knew most of them were rather lazy and like to do nothing at all, so seeing them do sports so much was strange -though they did seem rather exhausted easily._

**oo**

_Robbie had troubles sleeping, like usual. He had sat down on his windowsill and had rested there, watching the night sky, the stars and the moon. He was even able to watch the sunrise, which made him smile a little. He liked the sunrise, it looked really nice. And the he saw it. A hot air balloon, slowly descending. The man he had seen the day before jumped out of it, tying the balloon down, so that it wouldn't fly away. Robbie watched curiously what he was doing, it looked like some morning exercise._

_What slightly shocked Robbie was, that the guy went to the homes of the other children and_ pulled them out _. They were all tired, sleepy and sluggish, clearly not awake enough to do anything. They all got an apple from the man, which they more or less reluctantly ate. Most didn't even finish it. And then they all started to exercise. The guy was like a coach, showing them what to do and doing it with them, encouraging them and such -at least Robbie would think he encouraged them, he couldn't hear them from where he was._

_Robbie watched them run around the field, doing push-ups and sit-ups and play soccer. The longer they were going at it, the slower the kids became and the more the guy was talking to them. Robbie wondered how much longer this was going to be, when he saw the first kid collapse from exhaustion. The adult didn't seem to care much though, instead pushing the others to continue._

_Only when even the last of the kids finally couldn't move anymore, did they stop. It was kind of horrifying for Robbie, how far the guy had pushed them all. And the breaks they had inbetween had been really short and only filled with fruits and water. He had seen how one had wanted to eat some chocolate, resulting in the adult slapping it out of his hands and telling the kid something very strictly._

**oo**

_A few hours later and the kids were more or less back on their feet and back to playing games, though they tried to not use too much energy. While taking a break, they were talking amongst themselves, before the strange guy joined them. Robbie watched them curiously, having just sat down again after he had his breakfast just mere moments ago. He saw one of the kids pointing in his direction, all gazes turning towards him -even the one from the stranger._

_Robbie couldn't tell the look on his face, but feeling all of their gazes on him made him uncomfortable. He was glad when they turned away again, but he watched the guy soon flipping off and... Robbie could only guess towards him and his home. He was glad that his parents were home today, so they would talk to him. Sure, they didn't care that much for him, but at least enough to not let some stranger go and take Robbie outside. At least as long as they were at home, which wasn't very often sadly._

_Hopping off the windowsill, he walked to his door and opened it a little. This way, he could hear what was going on downstairs. He could hear the stranger and his father talk and got to hear a little of the introduction of who this new guy in town was. Something like a hero, Robbie picked up, number nine. Níu apparently, which Robbie knew was just nine in Icelandic. But it did sound better than just calling him Nine._

_After he heard the front door close again, he was soon called downstairs. He could assume his dad was going to tell him about Níu now, which Robbie didn't exactly mind. He was curious to get to know who that guy was, and if his father told him, he was happy to hear._

**oo**

_The next morning came far too quickly. Robbie had fallen asleep rather late, and had an uneasy sleep on top of that. He knew his parents wouldn't be home when he would be awake, his father leaving for a few days and his mother not being home until late at night -if at all. And if it weren't for a certain "superhero" Robbie could've at least catch up to some well needed sleep. But he was dragged out of his home, like all the other children were as well._

_When he was with the others on the sports field, the other kids looked more awake than the last day. Robbie wondered if they had suspected it would come to this, or if they just didn't mind getting out of bed early. The sun had barely risen after all, just a few minutes ago! But Robbie didn't have much time to think about it, when he was ushered to go run in circles around the fields with the others._

_He was notably slower than them, since he was much more out of form than they had been. And he was the youngest in the group as well, thankfully the second youngest was only a few months older than him, though the rest of the kids had more years in difference to him._

_Níu wasn't very helpful, just ushering them all to be faster, not caring much_ why _someone was lagging behind. He did tell them how they should breathe to not get out of breath quickly and a few other little things, but it didn't really help Robbie. In the end, Níu wanted the kid to run even more laps, since he had done so bad. Well, at least running was better than doing the other exercises. So Robbie didn't mind that much, even if he hated this. He was sweaty and sticky and smelly. Everything he greatly disliked._

_When he finally was finished and could join the others in their break, he got a water bottle and an apple. He scrunched up his nose at both things, did take a few sips of water though. But he didn't want the water, instead wanting to eat some taffy he had. Too bad for him, that Níu slapped it out of his hands and stepped on it, strictly lecturing Robbie why sweets were bad for him and why he shouldn't eat them. It made Robbie frown, it was just stupid. Sweets didn't kill anyone, at least if you didn't only eat them, and he felt much better when he ate sweets than fruits! Mentioning fruits, Robbie had to shake his head at Níu. He called the fruits, and apparently vegetables too, "sportscandy". How could you call anything like an apple "candy"?! It frustrated Robbie, but he didn't voice his opinion._

_Instead, they had to start exercising again. They played basketball, and Robbie was the worst at it. The other kids had fun making fun of him, and Níu did nothing to stop them. He just criticized Robbie and told him everything what he did wrong. It discouraged Robbie greatly, especially since no one cared to show him how it was done right. So he soon gave up, lying that he had homework for tomorrow to do still, and quickly disappeared back to his home. He would just occupy himself, after a long nap and some sweets._

**oo**

_It was always the same. Níu got them all outside to exercise and was forbidding sweets. He allowed them once a week._ Once a week _. Robbie couldn't believe that, he was so happy he could eat all the sweets he wanted at home at least. And while all the other kids didn't seem to care anymore about having to exercise so much and not being so lazy anymore, about having to eat sportscandy and not actual sweets. They didn't even care when someone collapsed due to exhaustion anymore!_

_But Robbie. Robbie still cared, he disliked exercise and having to get out of bed in the morning. He disliked sportscandy and he liked candy and sweets and cake. He liked being lazy. And as if the kids could smell it, they started to seriously bully Robbie. While he had been largely ignored before Níu appeared, now he was outright disliked and even hated. And Níu never really seemed to care too much. Sure, he was a "hero" and came to "rescue" Robbie when he got hurt too much physically by the other kids, but he never did more than a few strict words to them._

_It was easy to tell for Robbie, that Níu didn't like him. He didn't know_ why _, but he could see that he was disliked. And Robbie could tell that Níu had done something to the other kids, to the whole town actually. No one cared that their children were dragged out of their home and forced to do stuff they previously would've never thought of doing and_ liking it _. It made Robbie truly wonder_ what _Níu was. He didn't seem human to him, not entirely. But he couldn't say what he was. So Robbie had to live with everyone besides himself and his parents acting strange._

**oo**

_Robbie was laying on the ground, being bullied by the other children. They made fun of him, called him names, mocking him and kicking him. Only when Níu came, did they disperse and went away. The hero knelt down to Robbie and helped him sit up. He seemed more caring than usual, which struck Robbie as strange, but he didn't comment on it._

_"Are you alright?", Níu asked him, concern in his voice. Robbie nodded slightly, rubbing his eyes. It was hard not to start crying when he was so seriously bullied, but he always tried his best.  
"Would you like to come with me for today? I'd like to check up on you, the other kids are really mean to you", Níu helped Robbie to his feet, who straightened his clothes a little. He looked uncertain, but Níu sounded genuine. Having someone worry over him was a change, and actually rather nice.._

_Robbie nodded slightly, letting the hero take his hand. They walked together to his hot air balloon, which made Robbie's grip tighten a little._  
_"Are you scared?", Níu asked, looking down at Robbie with slight amusement in his eyes._  
_"I- I don't like heights..", Robbie admitted. He always had been scared of them, if he was honest. He didn't know why, he just was._  
_"Well, I'm here to keep you safe, alright?", he chuckled lightly and picked Robbie up and held him in his arms, climbing into the basket and setting Robbie back down._

**oo**

_It wasn't a very long trip. Robbie had fallen asleep some time after they took off, which was alright with him. And apparently for the hero as well, since he hadn't woken Robbie up. He didn't even had when they arrived, instead picking Robbie up and carrying him to his home. He didn't live in his hot air balloon after all, but not too far away from the towns he protected either. He couldn't really ignore it when someone was in trouble after all!_

_Once they were there though, his demeanor changed. Robbie was forcefully waken up by Níu, who was muttering something in another language. Listening closer, Robbie could understand some words. It sounded like Icelandic. Robbie wasn't the best at it yet, so he barely understood anything the hero was saying, but he wasn't supposed to anyways he'd believe. But he could easily tell that Níu was upset about something._

Why didn't it work on him? His glamour was near perfect, no human should be able to resist it! How come this little boy wasn't affected by it? It made no sense! Except, Robbie wasn't human. His parents were, Níu could tell, but why wasn't Robbie?  
Examining him didn't do him much good either, though he didn't care about what Robbie was thinking about him and if he liked him or not. Because Robbie clearly started to dislike him, the more Níu did to and with him.  
It was clear that the concern the hero had shown had been fake, but the man didn't care. He could use other magic on Robbie, to get what he wanted. That didn't include him liking him or doing exactly what he liked though. And it frustrated Níu greatly.

_Robbie was scared of Níu. He was glad when he walked away, but he knew he'd come back. And he knew he needed him to get back home as well. That didn't mean he wasn't glad that he was alone for a while. When Níu came back though, he was carrying something strange. It looked like a metal rod with a wooden handle, where the hero was carrying it. He said something with testing or something along those lines, and before Robbie knew what was happening, the rod was pressed against his arm, on his skin._

_ Robbie cried out in pain, the cool  _ iron _ on his skin burning. Tears gathered in his eyes, while Níu had a satisfied expression on his face. He had proven Robbie wasn't human, since no human reacted like that to iron. And an allergy wouldn't cause  _ burns _. The hero made a mental note about it, iron would be perfect to teach Robbie a lesson when he misbehaved and didn't do what he wanted. And as long as Níu had something like a glove to hold the iron, he wouldn't be hurt himself. _

**oo**

_Robbie began fearing having to go outside. The other kids didn't want to play with him and Níu didn't like him as well. He found flaws in everything Robbie did and criticized him every time he got a chance to. And when Robbie did anything bad, like steal some vegetables or fruits and hiding them, he got punished. Which usually resulted in Robbie getting burned with iron._

_It never stopped Robbie from trying again and again to get the kids to ignore him, to get the fruits and vegetables away, to get some kids to eat sweets, to get them to be quiet and lazy. But he was still younger than them all and they were stronger than he was. And they didn't shy away from violence either._

_ Níu still took Robbie with him to his home, more than often. And even if Robbie tried to resist, the hero always got Robbie to fall asleep in his arms. The child had figured out that Níu was an elf, he had  _ seen _ his ears. Now he knew why the town loved the hero so much and never questioned him. It made him wonder why he wasn't affected by this strange mass magic, but he connected it with the reason he couldn't touch iron. He had known that before, at least somewhat. He just never had known how bad it actually was. _

_ But Níu took great pleasure in hurting Robbie and doing everything the child didn't like,  _ couldn't _ like. And Robbie was terrified enough of Níu to keep everything to himself, to never say a word about it. No matter what he did, no matter what human laws he broke. _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God I dunno where to go after this  
> I think I'll go with that one idea I had, but after that...  
> I think it slowly becomes time that Robbie turns back to normal, huh?  
> Or does anyone else have any ideas for what should happen?  
> I'd appreciate some ideas! ^^;  
>  _Oh and also, THE LONGEST CHAPTER YET with 2888 words if I remember right! Wow!_


	14. Day at the beach

It was a warm and sunny day. Temperatures had risen and it was almost too hot to play any exhausting games in the sun. So of course one of them came up with the idea of going to the beach, to which everyone scattered and went back home, to get their swimwear on and get something to drink and eat to take with them. Robbie was sent with Stingy, since he got his clothes from the other -who still wasn't very willing to lend Robbie anything. Good thing Robbie could talk Stingy into giving him some things he needed though, otherwise he'd need help.

Once they all gathered back in the town square, Sportacus joined them. They were all eager to tell Sportacus, dragging him along with them while walking along the path towards the beach. It was quite the walk, but no one minded, since they all happily talked with each other. Only Robbie lagged behind, just two steps behind everyone, carrying a little bag Stephanie had given him. His gaze was on the ground, he really didn't want to go to the beach. He knew how to swim, more or less, but he had his reasons why.

No one noticed though, everyone was too caught up in their own conversations to notice Robbie. Once they did arrive at the beach, they laid out their blankets and towels, putting down their bags, before the kids pulled off the clothes they were wearing over their swimwear. Only Robbie sat down and didn't, really not wanting to. At first, no one had noticed, because Ziggy had ran towards the water as soon as he could, so Trixie quickly ran after him, closely followed by Stingy. Stephanie shook her head watching them run off, before looking at the remaining others, Sportacus, Pixel and Robbie.

The hero didn't look like he would be going to swim, while Pixel was putting away his gadgets so that they'd stay dry and wouldn't get damaged by anything. And Robbie was still sitting there, legs hugged to himself and gaze on the ground. It made the girl worried, so she went to him and knelt besides him.

"Aren't you going to play with us?", she asked him, hoping he'd look up to her.  
"N-... I don't know... I'd like to..", Robbie mumbled, not looking up to meet her gaze.  
"You shouldn't play in your clothes in this heat and at the beach", Stephanie told him, though she knew there probably was a reason why he didn't want to take his clothes off and walk around in swimwear like the rest of them.

"I... I don't want to s-strip..", Robbie muttered, burying his face in his arms, laid upon his knees. "J-just leave m-me alone... p-please", he sounded like he was about to cry, which made Stephanie extremely worried.  
"Okay... but we'd all be happy if you joined us", she got back up to her feet and looked to Sportacus, who had noticed the distress. He nodded at the girl, at her unspoken question if he'd talk to him. She smiled gently and ran to the others -Pixel had joined them already.

The hero sat down besides Robbie, letting out a puff of air, before looking at him. He knew that Robbie hid many things, and one thing was worse than the next. And all rooted back to Nine, to Níu, he was the source of Robbie's fears. Sportacus really had to do something, Níu couldn't get away with this, just because no one knew. But for now, he needed to know more and help Robbie. According to Pixel, it wouldn't take too long to repair the machine, though he couldn't figure out how some things of it worked.

"Robert?", Sportacus said softly, gently laying a hand on the boy's shoulder. It caused him to flinch, but he relaxed quickly, knowing that it was Sportacus. He trusted the hero, he dared to say he _liked_ him even. He really saw a friend in Sportacus. Sure, the kids were nice to him and said they were his friends too, but Robbie couldn't destroy the little fear in him that said that they didn't really care and didn't want to be friends.

"Do you want to tell me why you don't want to play with the others?", Sportacus asked, his voice gentle and trying not to sound too concerned. He worried about Robbie, especially when he couldn't imagine why Robbie behaved like he did.  
"I want to play... I just...", Robbie looked up, gazing at the others who happily played together. Sportacus could see the pain in Robbie's eyes, that he really did want to play with them, but felt like he couldn't, or shouldn't.

"I don't want them to see...", Robbie finally muttered quietly, looking back to the ground. He knew he could trust Sportacus, so he wouldn't tell anyone and he... well, he'd stay his friend no matter what, right? Robbie at least hoped so.  
Sportacus got up, to crouch in front of Robbie. He hoped to get the child to look at him, and maybe shield him from the other kid's gazes. He felt like it made Robbie just more sad.  
"What don't you want them to see, Robert?", Sportacus gently pried, concern evident on his face and in his voice. He could already imagine what Robbie meant, what he was hiding with his clothes.

The child looked up to Sportacus and immediately felt bad. The look of concern and worry on Sportacus' face made Robbie feel bad, and guilty. He shouldn't have come with them in the first place, then they could all be happily playing without having to worry about him.  
"Do you want to tell me?..", Sportacus asked carefully. He didn't want to force Robbie to tell him, or _show him_ , what he didn't want the others to see, but he couldn't help his concern if he didn't knew Robbie was fine.

The child hesitated. He didn't wear his vest due to the temperature, so just his button up shirt. So with a deep breath, he easily undid some buttons on the top and pulled the shirt off his shoulder. On the outside of his arm was a ugly burn scar. And Sportacus could see more peeking out from under the shirt.  
"You..", he mumbled, unable to find words. The hero couldn't imagine what had caused those burns, because they didn't look like they had been caused by a fire.

"I'm covered in them", Robbie said, his voice quiet. His gaze was back on the ground, the hand that still held his shirt clenched tightly. He hated his scars, he wished he didn't have them, but he knew he'd just get more until he could hide away from Níu. Until he got away from the hero, that did this to him.

Sportacus reached out to touch it, but hesitated. Looking at Robbie, the child didn't look up to him, so he carefully touched the scar. Robbie did flinch slightly, but didn't mind the touch.  
"What caused this?..", the hero asked, his fingers lightly tracing over the exposed scar. Nothing he knew that could cause scars -burn scars- would look like this. Except...  
"Iron", Robbie answered quietly. "Pressed against my skin... W-when... when I was bad...", he muttered, not really wanting to say it.

"Iron?", Sportacus was surprised hearing it. "Robbie, are you... magic?", he whispered almost, even though no one was near them. But he didn't know how anyone would react to hearing that.  
"M-magic?", Robbie stuttered, looking up to Sportacus, almost confused. "Like- like Níu is an elf?..", he asked, clearly confused as to why _he_ should be magic.

"Exactly", Sportacus nodded. He didn't wonder much about why Robbie knew that Níu was an elf, maybe he had told him and the other kids, or maybe Robbie had seen his pointed ears.  
"I- I don't know if I am?..", Robbie answered, though he was more asking then really stating anything. He had no idea if he was magic or not, he always thought he was human. His parents were after all.

"Iron is really bad for most magic creatures Robert", Sportacus informed Robbie. "Why do you have so many scars though?..", his brows furrowed, concern written all over his face.  
"I-it, uhm.. it...", Robbie seemed almost _scared_ to say it, hesitating. But he knew he could trust Sportacus and he knew Níu would never know of this. "Níu... did it...", he finally muttered quietly, looking away from Sportacus again.

Sportacus felt _anger_. That a _hero_ did this to a _child_ was terrible. It was unbelievable and just... it angered Sportacus. He only noticed that he _looked_ angered, because he noticed Robbie looked afraid of him, having inched backwards and his shirt pulled back up.  
The hero's face relaxed instantly, instead looking apologetic. "I'm sorry Robert, I wasn't angry at you", he apologized. He offered a small smile towards the child, who slowly relaxed, nodding.

They were silent for a while, Robbie calming down and Sportacus calming his thoughts. In the end, the hero came up with an idea how Robbie could still play with the others. His scars were mostly on his upper body, so he could keep his shirt on. It wasn't made out of a thick material, so it shouldn't become too warm for him. And the rest, besides his swimwear of course, could go off.  
Robbie seemed okay with that, and even happy that he could go and play with the other children. So he soon joined them, Sportacus joining in on games like beach volley ball.

It was a fun day after that. Robbie did go into the water too, but not too much, just like Ziggy. They both couldn't really swim, but they still had fun. And even when the cars were a little visible through the wet shirt, but no one said anything about it, not even really acknowledging it. Robbie was able to forget about his scars and his worries he had before, at the beginning of the day.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's rather short I think, or is it? I don't know how long the other's were anymore xD  
> And eh, yeah. I dunno, maybe I shouldn't have written this at 5am with no sleep, but oh well.  
> I just hope it's not too bad?  
> And I would _love_ to have Nine show up again, but I can't come up with a reason _why_ he would come back...


	15. He's back

The same day they had come back from the beach, Sportacus had written a letter. He knew his "duties" as hero weren't to deliver justice, but fight the problem in the town he was. In Lazytown, it was to keep everyone active and healthy, and of course keeping them safe from harm. And even if Robbie was by now an adult, and Níu wasn't an active hero anymore, the former hero couldn't get away with what he had done.

Heroes didn't give themselves their title. It was more of an organization, which had been formed and was kept alive by the former heroes -the oldest ones that were still alive. Every hero was a part of it, keeping to certain rules. The newest member Sportacus knew of was number twelve. But each hero mostly kept to their own areas and didn't invade in someone else's. Meetings were rare, especially though ones that weren't held in their homeland. All of the crystals going off at once was very distracting and bothersome.

But Sportacus could imagine, that they'd have to meet soon. Judging a former hero was something that everyone of the heroes should take a part in. Sportacus just hoped that until then, Robbie would be back to his old self -an adult again. He didn't want to take the poor child with him to such a trial and he couldn't leave the child alone and staying with one of the other children.

Right now, it was a fresh and new day. The kids were playing together and Sportacus had just saved the Mayor from falling off a tree. On his way to go to the kids and maybe play together with them, a paper airplane flew towards him. He easily caught the white piece of paper, unfolding it. He read it over quickly and concern was soon written all over his face.

The letter came from Þrjár, the third hero. He informed Sportacus, that they had tried talking with Níu, but he had soon vanished. They weren't able to find him again, and were worried that he might come back to Lazytown. It made Sportacus extremely worried, what would happen if Níu appeared here again? What would happen if he found Robbie again?

He folded the paper again and put it in his vest, before hurrying to the children. He'd just try to have them all never by themselves, so that no one was in immediate danger. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if one of the children got tricked by Níu and something would happen to them. He'd especially keep an eye on Robbie, since he still tended to be by himself a lot.

When he got to the sports field, he found no one. The kids weren't playing here anymore then, so he decided to go and see where they were. They weren't at Pixel's and playing games, that much he knew. He could always see one or the other gadget on his house moving when they played. So he wandered around town, until he found Trixie and Ziggy, who where apparently searching for something.

"We're playing hide'n'seek", Trixie had informed Sportacus, getting an excited agreement from Ziggy. "And currently searching for the other's". The hero didn't really like that they played that _now_ , but surely Níu couldn't have gotten here that fast. He hoped so at least.  
Offering to play with them and help, the two kids easily agreed happily, nodding. And it really wasn't that hard finding Stingy, Stephanie and Pixel, but they had troubles finding Robbie.

"We hadn't been able to find him the last time either", Stephanie told Sportacus, while they searched together near the school -where they had met him last time after having awoken him with shouting.  
"We had started to shout for him to come out, he had fallen asleep! We were all really relieved when we found him finally though", she smiled at the memory, glad that the boy hadn't been lost or in danger -though then Sportacus would've saved him.

Sportacus nodded, though he was still a little worried. Robbie wasn't in any danger now, but what would his crystal even think _was_ danger? Was getting kidnapped danger? Was the use of magic danger? He wasn't sure about it, and it made him anxious. But he tried to hide it from the kids, which thankfully worked. The little concern Stephanie could currently make out on his face was put on the fact that it took so long to find Robbie and that maybe something had happened to him.

After a few more minutes of searching, all the kids and Sportacus gathered in the town square. They all talked about where they had searched for Robbie and that they should start to call for him again, because they couldn't find him, when suddenly Sportacus' crystal flashed to life. Knowing that the Mayor and ms Busybody were safe -the kids had seen them both while searching- it was obvious who was in trouble.

Sportacus immediately sprinted away, panic settling in him. Robbie wouldn't just get in trouble by himself, not again. And thinking that Níu could be here again, could have Robbie and gotten him in a dangerous situation, it fueled Sportacus. It made him scared, it made him furious. All he wanted was for everyone to be safe, for Robbie to be safe.

But soon, his crystal's flash died down. It just slightly hummed against his chest, telling him that there was still something _wrong_. It made Sportacus even more worried, because he hadn't been able to find Robbie, to get to him fast enough. And he had no idea what to do now.

**oooo**

Robbie knew he had the best hiding places. He knew it was kinda unfair to use them, but he liked winning. He barely won at anything, so wining at some kind of game was just nice. He stayed hidden even when he heard someone walk by and obviously searching for him. Later on there was someone again. But since no one called out to him that he'd won, he stayed hidden.

But, he did want them to give them a chance. So he finally came out of his hiding spot and began to search for another one, trying to stay hidden from anyone searching for him. What he hadn't thought was, that he'd walk into someone per accident. He hadn't been looking where he was going, so it was understandable that he walked into someone, but he had thought no one of the kids -or Sportacus- was here.

He took a step back, his eyes already widening from what he was seeing in front of him. Looking up though, he felt like his heart stopped. Mustard yellow pants, leather vest over a short sleeved shirt int he same colours as the pants. And not to forget the more orange-y beanie. _Níu._  
The former hero looked down at Robbie, at first he looked confused. Seeing Robbie, the child, in front of him again seemed impossible. But it explained the reason how the current hero here had found out.

His expression darkened and a wide malicious grin spread on his face. He crouched down, the child in front of him frozen in fear. And Níu enjoyed the look on his face.  
"Missed me?", he asked and chuckled, reaching out to Robbie to pull him closer. And since the kid was unable to bring himself to move, his breathing short and quick, eyes wide with fear, the man had it easy to pull him towards himself.

"I sure missed you", holding the child close to himself, Robbie finally was able to move again. He tried to push against Níu's chest, to get away from him, but he already felt himself growing weaker, tired.  
"G-go away... L-leave me alone! I- I have friends now... p-people who care...", his voice got quieter the more he spoke, his eyelids growing heavy. He knew now that it definitely was magic, he knew that he himself was magic to some extend. Maybe that kept him safe from the glamour Níu had used on all the others?

"Do you really think so?", Níu said and picked Robbie up, still holding him close to his chest. He didn't care that Robbie was supposed to be an adult but wasn't, it didn't matter much. No, he would have some fun after so many years, Robbie had always been his _favorite_.  
"No one really cares, Robbie. They just take pity in you", his magic had grown stronger -back when he had been a hero he still had been pretty young for an elf, so his magic had been weaker.

Robbie tensed upon hearing his nickname, but stayed quiet. There was legitimate doubt planted in his mind now, even though he knew he could trust Sportacus and the other children too. Right?... Robbie wasn't so sure anymore.  
He leaned his head against Níu's chest, his fear replaced by tiredness and _doubt_. He knew he shouldn't get comfortable anywhere near Níu, let alone _in his arms_ , but he was so tired...

"Only I care about you Robbie. You're safe with me Robbie. Everyone else is lying to you Robbie", Níu's voice was quiet and soft, he planted lies in the kids head, always repeating his name _Robbie Robbie Robbie_. And soon, the child was asleep, and Níu vanished from Lazytown.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter, but all the more angsty :3c  
> I'll try to get one tomorrow again too, maybe earlier than this one even!!


	16. Feeling hopeless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really short I'm sorry  
> And maybe ooc, sorry

Sportacus met back with the kids, his face showing how defeated he felt. He hadn't been able to save Robbie and now Níu had him, taking him god knows where and doing god knows what. And it terrified Sportacus, not knowing what was going to happen to Robbie and if he would be alright. And how he felt was so clear, that even the kids got concerned about him.

They all decided to search the town one more time, just to be sure. But they hadn't found Robbie, and everyone was devastated. They worried about Robbie, though no one worried as much as Sportacus -he was the only one who knew about the dangers the kid could be in.

The kids tried to reassure Sportacus that Robbie would be alright, that surely nothing bad would happen to him and that he would appear again soon. But Sportacus' mind couldn't be calmed down, and he eventually gave in and told the kids what he knew. About Níu and what he'd done to Robbie -though only vaguely- and that the former hero was very likely to have kidnapped Robbie.

The kids were horrified, hearing what a _hero_ had done to a child. And now they could understand how panicked Sportacus was and that he couldn't calm his nerves. But what could they do? They had searched the town already and it was slowly starting to get dark. The children decided to meet back together the next day, to come up with a plan on what to do. Maybe they could help somehow?

Sportacus decided he'd go searching the nearby areas, and think about where Níu could have possible taken Robbie. There were so many places that were easily accessible for an elf and quite a few areas nearby Lazytown where he could be hiding with the child. Sportacus was frantic, he had no idea what Níu would do to Robbie. But he knew he needed to find the child fast.

**oo**

The night was restless for the hero. He had stayed up later than 8:08 because he'd been searching, but his sleep wasn't a good one when he finally passed out in bed. He didn't in particular dream, hot having images and scenes playing out in his mind. There were only emotions and feelings. And this night, he was filled with cold horror. It was like a nightmare for the hero, from which he woke up in the middle of the night.

His crystal was still softly humming against his chest, still able to tell that Robbie was in danger in a place where Sportacus could get to. He just didn't know where it was or how to get there. He hoped it was near Lazytown, it had to be. His crystal's range wasn't reaching the nearby towns or Busycity, so it _had to_ be somewhere near Lazytown.

Unable to sleep any longer, Sportacus got out of bed and walked to the front of the airship, sitting down and looking out the window. The streetlanterns were illuminating Lazytown in a few spots, making it clearly visible for the hero up in the sky. Letting his gaze wander, he saw the nearby forest, the path to the beach and the billboard. And some place further behind said billboard were rather big metal buildings, like some industry.

Sportacus had never been there, but neither had the kids apparently. And he doubted that Robbie had ever been there either. The place looked abandoned, like no one had been there for years. He'd have to ask the Mayor about it, what that place had been.  
The forest and the abandoned industry seemed to be the most likely places for Níu to have vanished to. The beach was still in the crystal's range, but there wasn't any place to hide. At least none that Sportacus knew of, so he couldn't cross it off the list. It would surely take a whole day to search through the forest, and going to the beach, searching and coming back probably as well, depending on if there was something. And he had no idea how big that industry was either, so it could take even more than just a day.

The hero sighed. Depending on luck alone, he could either find Robbie in the next few days or not at all. He wouldn't think that Níu would bring back the child, he had no reason to. Unless, of course, he'd get bored of him or something. A shudder ran over his back and he hugged himself. He felt unusual cold, which probably was caused by the fear of what Robbie could be going through at the moment.

Going back to bed, he just hoped that he could find Robbie and that he was alright. He didn't want to think about all the things that could be happening to Robbie, what Níu could be doing to the child.

**~~~~~~~~~~**

_It's cold._  
_He's curled up in a corner, freezing. Why is it so cold?_  
_He sniffs, his cheeks still wet from tears. He can still feel the pain of what he'd done._  
_When he closed his eyes, he could still feel the touches. Hot breath against his skin._  
_He shuddered, refusing to close his eyes in the corner. He was scared, terrified._

 _He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to be anywhere._  
_He hated him. He knew he did, he hated him with all his being. He was sure of that, no matter what he told him, no matter if he said he cared about him and would protect him._  
_But there was no one else who cared, was there? He felt like there should be, but that was just his wishful thinking, wasn't it? If he believed one thing that he was telling him, it was that._  
_No one cared about him._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next one will be longer, I promise!!  
> But I didn't know how to make this chapter longer without going into the actual search, sorry! >3<  
> The next one will be longer though, since I'll put the whole search into one chapter and of course  
> More italic snippets ;D  
> Btw I love how everyone wants Níu to suffer and being beaten up by Sportacus, it's amazing and makes me laugh so much xD  
> I enjoy you guy's suffering so much, it's amazing


	17. The search, the find

 

They decided to search at the beach first. It'd be the quickest place after all, since even the children believed there were no real places to hide. They were going all together, since Sportacus still didn't want anyone to be by themselves and he knew that Níu could overpower even two of the children. And the search would be done quicker with everyone together as well, even if they were searching only one place at a time.

Sportacus was in a much more determined mood today. He was set on finding Robbie and catching Níu, so that the former hero wouldn't be able to hurt anyone again. It gave the children more determination as well, seeing their hero distressed hadn't helped their motivation. But now, they all were determined to find their friend and make sure he was alright.

After the long walk to the beach, they spread out -staying in eye-sight of one another though. There really weren't many places, most were good for hiding, but not for keeping someone in that place. They had found an old shack, but there was nothing and no one inside. They made sure they hadn't overlooked anything, making sure that no one had been here after their last visit.

Having found no clue to someone else having been here, they made their way back. They didn't let this discourage them, already forming a plan on how to search through the forest. It was rather big after all with many winding paths. But it'd make more sense for them to spread out at least a little, so they planned that the kids would go search all together as a team and Sportacus would go off on his own. The kids would be able to safe themselves when they were all together, having escaped many tricky situations on their own before.

Sportacus was glad that everyone took the search so serious and that everyone wanted to find Robbie and make sure he was alright. Turning him back into an adult wasn't as important at the moment, though Sportacus couldn't help himself but let his mind wander to the future, when everything was back to normal. They couldn't tell if Robbie would remember all of this, if it would have an effect on the man or not. Maybe it would turn into a childhood memory, maybe it'd be lost forever. Maybe Robbie would remember everything as clear as day.

As much as Sportacus would like for Robbie to not have to remember being kidnapped by Níu, he hoped that remembering how accepting and nice the kids were would stick with him. They all liked Robbie, no matter the age. The villain just didn't see it, instead pushing tries to becoming friends away. Though he did accept some things, like invitations for birthday parties, were he didn't even try anything bad.

Sportacus shook his head, focusing his thoughts back on the task at hand. Finding Robbie. And then they could go back to working on the machine -hadn't Pixel mentioned he needed help with it? Maybe Robbie could look at it when he was alright. His adult-self had built it, so maybe he'd be able to know something about it too. Sportacus couldn't wait to see Robbie smiling happily again.

 _He didn't like apples. He didn't like any fruit or vegetables, "sportscandy". It was disgusting. He wouldn't eat it even if his life depended on it, and well, maybe it did now. But he still didn't._  
_He got something sweet when he behaved. When he did what_ _ **he**_ _wanted. When_ _ **he**_ _was happy, Robbie got something sweet, which made him happy too. Or at least took his mind off of what he had done to receive his sweet._  
_But it wasn't much. One piece of taffy, a single bonbon, a small piece of chocolate. He needed more to survive, but he didn't like the fruits and vegetables. They didn't even look tasty, so why should they be? He was sure he could survive without them and with the little candy he got.  
_**He**_ _knew he couldn't. But_ _ **he**_ _wouldn't lecture him, not again._ _ **He**_ _'d just wait until he would_ _ **ask**_ _for something to eat, and then... well, maybe_ _ **he**_ _wouldn't give him something. Since he didn't appreciate what he got already.__

Arriving back at Lazytown, they all took a small break, eating something and getting water. They needed all the energy they could get after all, and they wouldn't want to start feeling weak and exhausted because they didn't eat and drink something! Sportacus too took a little snack, before they all started towards the forest. The kids would go towards the treehouse and the big open field, where Sportacus sometimes landed his airship, and Sportacus would go in the opposite direction. They made out to meet back in Lazytown before the sun was starting to set, before going on their ways.

The kids were very throughout with their search. They were to fifth after all, enough people to search the whole forest probably. But they wouldn't go off the paths, knowing it'd be unsafe to travel along ways no one knew about. And they were wanting to go to the treehouse and the open field, to check for anything and anyone there.

Sportacus wasn't as throughout as the kids, but he knew that he didn't need to look behind every tree and under every bush. He searched mostly for prints in the dirt, for anything that looked suspicious and out of place. He didn't flip around as much, not running around as fast, so that he wouldn't miss anything, but he hurried. He wanted to see as much of the forest as possible, so that he could cross it off the list of possible hiding places.

When the kids arrived at the treehouse, there wasn't anything suspicious there. They all searched inside and out, making sure nothing was out of place and no one had been here. Wandering to the field, they found something though. It was a hot air balloon! And, remembering what Robbie had told them once, they were pretty sure that it was the hot air balloon of the former hero, Níu.

The kids made sure that there was nothing more suspicious here, while Pixel set up a little camera he had brought with him. This way, they could make sure the balloon was still there and could see if Níu came back here and maybe even took off. Once that was done, they started to backtrack, going back to Lazytown.

Sportacus had searched a big part of the forest, finding something that looked like the clubhouse the kids had built one time, just much much older. It had probably been build by some kids or teens many years ago. It was empty though, and rather run-down. The hero hadn't found anything more of real interest, so he began to go back towards Lazytown as well. He hoped the kids were okay and that nothing had happened. He found safety in his crystal's silence though, that nothing dangerous had happened.

Sportacus arrived shortly before the kids did, who were all excited to see the hero again and tell him what they had found. They spoke all at once, and Sportacus had troubles understanding them all. It brought an amused smile on his face, and he hushed them to be quiet and speak one at a time.  
"We found Nine's hot air balloon!", Ziggy exclaimed, proud of their finding.  
"At least we believe it is his", said Trixie, while Stingy murmured a "It's obviously _mine"_.  
"Robbie had told us Nine had one", Stephanie cleared the confusion on why they knew about it.  
"We installed a camera to keep an eye on it too", Pixel chimed in, "To know if he leaves or goes somewhere".

Sportacus was proud of them, and he was relieved to know that Níu really was still near Lazytown. He wouldn't leave his hot air balloon here if he wasn't. It still didn't lift the mystery as to where he was, but at least they knew he was here, so it was a start.  
Since it was too late to go and search more, the children decided to play a game together before it got dark. Sportacus didn't join them however, instead going to the Mayor to ask about the abandoned industry he had seen the night before.

Sadly, he didn't get much information. The Mayor wasn't able to tell Sportacus for what the industry had been or who had owned it, he only knew that it had been closed down for decades and been deemed to dangerous for anyone to enter -so it was forbidden. Sportacus thanked him for the information anyways, at least he knew a little bit more about the place now. He was sure to search it thoroughly tomorrow, it was too late to start today.

He thought about searching it alone though, after he said goodnight to the children and went back up into his airship. It could be dangerous, it _was_ dangerous, the place was old and who knew in what state it was in? He didn't want the kids to get hurt in any way while exploring the place and searching for Robbie and Níu. If he told them to stay here though, they surely would be sad they didn't get to help. And what if they followed him anyways?

He'd try to tell them not to go with him. He wanted them to be save, and they would surely understand that. It was an old, _incredibly old_ , building and could be very dangerous on its own. It _was_ forbidden to go there after all. And surely they'd listen to him, he had good reasons for them not to follow him after all!

But, that had to wait for the next day. Now, he got his exercises and dinner, before trying to sleep. It wasn't a good sleep, but at least he didn't wake up from it in the middle of the night again. Maybe he'd be somewhat well rested tomorrow, he surely would need all the energy he could get.

 _Everything hurt. His cheek was red and swollen, every little touch and movement stung. His back burned, red lines along them, like fire. Bruises forming on his wrists, on his legs._ _ **He**_ _wasn't gentle,_ _ **he**_ _never was._ _ **He**_ _just used him in any way_ _ **he**_ _wanted to, to get what_ _ **he**_ _likes. To be satisfied._  
_**He**_ _was only gentle when_ _ **he**_ _was telling him things. "No one misses you. They're glad you're gone. They hate you. They don't want to see you again. You only need me. I'll take care of you. I'll protect you. I'm the nice guy, not them. You can trust me. They just lie to you. They would betray you"._ _ **He**_ _was only gentle then. Playing with his hair, letting_ _ **his**_ _hand trace along his fingers and his arm, up and down his back, rubbing soothing circles on it. Holding him close to_ _ **his**_ _chest, cradling him like a young child. Like a toddler even._  
_He tried not to listen to_ _ **him**_ _. He knew_ _ **he**_ _was bad, that_ _ **he**_ _hurt him. But when_ _ **he**_ _was gentle, when_ _ **he**_ _was nice, it was so easy to forget everything that he'd done. Every touch. All the pain. And in those moments, he could believe_ _ **him**. That __**he**_ _was the good guy. But he always found hate inside himself towards_ _ **him**_ _. He didn't trust_ _ **him**_ _or any word_ _ **he**_ _said.  
But he believed __**him**_ _when he said things about anyone else. That no one else cared, that no one would bother with him. Because it always had been like that. No one had ever wanted to be his friend, no one really cared where he was or what he was doing._

The kids were all wondering where they were going to search today. They had searched the beach and forest already, and of course Lazytown as well. And it's been two days already, they really wondered where they could search today. So they were ecstatic when Sportacus finally came down to them to start the search of the day!

Hearing that they shouldn't come with him was a great disappointment. Stephanie and Pixel understood easily why they shouldn't, it was dangerous and they could get hurt. Stingy argued that it was _his_ industry and he was allowed to go there, though of course it wasn't his. Trixie argued that nothing was too dangerous for her and Ziggy was just plain sad he couldn't be a hero too.

It took a lot of convincing to keep the kids in Town and not following Sportacus to the industry. But finally, the hero had the kids convinced not to follow him and stay outside of the industry. Now, the hero could go and continue the search for Níu and Robbie.  
The kids started to play a game, to keep themselves distracted mostly, and Sportacus started on his way towards the industry. He used the airship, to get there faster and take care of Robbie if he's hurt.

The big metal buildings were lined with a high metal fence. The gate in the front was slightly open, unable to be closed correctly anymore. An old and rusty chain was laying on the ground, just like an old padlock. The chain was obviously broken on purpose, though it looked like it didn't take a lot to break them anyways. But it gave Sportacus a hint that someone had broken in -though he couldn't be sure _when_.

There was one large hall, looking more like a dome, in which production had taken place. Then there were some smaller buildings, something looking like a silo and many pipes -most connection some of the buildings together. It reminded the hero a little bit of Robbie's lair, which made him wonder if the lair had once been a part of this -and the billboard too.

Sportacus decided to search through the big hall first. It would take the longest probably, though there was surely more machinery than rooms. Which turned out to be true, though Sportacus had no idea what kind of machines these were and what they were supposed to do. He was just careful not to touch anything, as to not break anything -it _could_ cause a chain reaction after all.

It took a good while -a few hours probably- before Sportacus had searched the whole hall. Finding nothing useful or anything that told him that someone had been here, he turned back towards the exit. The light that shone through the open doors was almost blinding -outside was a bright and sunny day, while it was rather dark in here; the windows were big, but extremely dusty, which made the light very dulled. Sportacus was ready to go outside again, approaching the exit, when there suddenly was something - _someone_ \- blocking the way.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, the search, the find -well, not really the find, but we DO find someone.  
> Or rather, someone found US, nyahahaha!  
> As a heads up, I'm TERRIBLE at writing fights and things related to that. So, uhm.  
> The next chapter might take a longer while and will probably be bad. At least all fight related will be  
> Because if I cannot write one thing, it's fighting.  
> BUT ANYWAYS  
> Nine is about to get what he deserves, so ya'll can patiently wait :3


End file.
